A Wolf Among Dwarves
by Faron Oakenshield
Summary: Skin-Changer Violet lived a normal life with her father Beorn, one day while visiting her friend Radagast, she meets a certain Dwarf Prince and her life changes forever. ON HIATUS!
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! Here's a new fanfic for ya! If I get enough people liking it then I'll keep it going! Sorry it's short, but this is just a back story into the OC and her life! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Prologue**

My name is Violet and I am a Skin-Changer, just like my father Beorn. But unlike my father, I don't change into a black bear. Instead, I change into a grey wolf.

The beginning of my life was a time I would always want to forget, but never can. I was only a few years old when it happened.

I lived with my father, mother, siblings - four older brothers and a baby sister - and the rest of our clan in the mountains. We were all happy and I thought we were going to be together forever. One day, our home was attacked by orcs. I watched as my brothers and over half of our clan were killed. My father, mother, sister and I, along with what was left of our clan were captured.

The pale org, Azog the Defiler, would use us for his entertainment, and for the entertainment of the rest of the orcs. They would cage and torture us, even the young weren't spared from their wrath, me being one of them, the torture making me blind in my right eye.

My mother was the first of the enslaved to fall and then one by one the rest followed, my sister dying in my arms. My father and I were the only two that survived. Why that was? I don't know, but I don't question it.

After spending months being held captive, we were finally able to make our escape. It was a struggle as we were being chased. Father stayed behind to fight them off to give me a chance to make my escape.

After a few days of travelling alone, I was soon found the wizard, Radagast the Brown, who took me in once I told him what happened. He took me in and healed my wounds. Unfortunately, even a wizard could do nothing for my eye, so I would remain forever half blind.

A few days after, father had finally found me and after our reunion, asked Radagast to take care of me while he looked for a new place for us to live.

I spent the next few years with the wizard and learnt a lot from him. He taught me how to survive in the wild, what foods were poisonous or not and even taught me about herbs and their uses. After what I went through, I wanted to learn how to be a healer. Not being able to help and save the people I loved was the worst feeling I had, so I strived to never let anyone else suffer if I could help it.

During those years with Radagast, my father had visited me as often as he could. He found a clearing a few days ride away from Radagast's home in Greenwood, which I was happy about since it wasn't far, as it meant I could come visit Radagast. Father had already started building our home but it would still take some time until it's completion.

I was nine when the house was finally built. Three happy years I spent with Radagast, but I was excited and ready to be back with my father once more.

From the first day being in the house, I loved it. We had a lot of animals; chickens, goats, cows, sheeps, horses/ponies and father had even kept a hive of giant bees so we could have honey.

The house itself was beautiful. We had a barn which opened up to the kitchen area and some stairs to the side which lead up to two bedrooms and a bathroom. All of the furniture father made by hand to his side, which for being a child of nine still felt like climbing onto a mountain when I wanted to sit in a chair.

When I turned ten, my father had started teaching me how to control my shifting ability. It took me a few months for me to be able to change for the first time, but when I did, my father was so proud of me, even if I was a wolf and not a bear. Unlike my father, I was in control of myself and didn't possess the wild animal instincts. Father and I had put that down to my mixed blood, as my mother was a human woman of the Dunedain.

The next twenty years were spent at home with father, either doing chored around the home, playing with father and the animals or learning how to fight as a wolf. I never had any weapons training, I didn't want it, who needed weapons when you have teeth and claws?

I also spent a lot of time with Radagast as he continued his teachings. What surprised me, was that he was able to understand me in my wolf form. Whether that was because of him being a wizard, I didn't know, but it made me happy that I could be around him as a wolf and have him understand me. While living with Radagast, I also another wizard, who was a friend of Radagast's, Gandalf the Grey, who could also understand me, so I definitely put it down to them being wizards.

I had grown to like Gandalf just as much as I did Radagast. When I was a child, he had used his magic to entertain me by making butterflies appear and flutter around, which I would chase around. He had also told me stories of his adventures which I enjoyed.

My story begins after I turned twenty-five, the year I met thirteen Dwarves and a hobbit, the day my future began with him.

* * *

 **Well, there we go. There's the back ground of Violet and her life before the dwarves. I hope you all enjoy reading this story!**


	2. The Darkness

**Hey all! Chapter two is up! I'd like to thank the people who have already favourited this and Zabuzas who has left me a review!**

 **Review responses;**

 **ZabuzasGirl** \- I'm glad you're enjoying this so far, it's very different to what I normally do, so hopefully I can do a good job on it!

 **"Normal talk/thoughts"**

 **'Animal talk'**

* * *

 **The Darkness.**

I walk out of Radagast's home in my wolf form and stretch out my limbs. I awoke to found the house empty; Radagast had already left early that morning.

Walking around the forest, I can sense something isn't right. For the past few years, the forest had started to become darker, sicker, but that was more near to the evlen realm where King Thranduil rules, I've never smelt it here before.

I find Radagast as he's examining a dying plant.

"Not good; not good at all." he mutters to himself.

I follow after him as he runs off, running past dead animals as we go. He plucks up a mushroom and puts it in his bag after giving a noise of disgust

'Radagast, what is going on?' I ask my friend.

"I don't know, Violet." he replied before he rushes onto a tree a tree which looks to be infected.

He feels and tastes the sap, looking more and more worried. Looking up, he whistles as his bird appears, Radagast removes his hat and said bird and it's mate land in the nest, which is on his head.

Looking over I run over to a hedgehog which is writhing and moaning in pain on the ground. I nuzzle him as I recognise him as Sebastian.

I turn to the wizard. "Radagast!"

He looks to me and runs over. "Oh no! Sebastian!" He picks the animal up and cradles him. "Good gracious. . .come on Violet."

Together we run through the forest, passing by more dead animals, and reach his home which has been built around the base of a tree. Once inside, he places Sebastian on a table and uses various medicinal and magical techniques, to no avail. The hedgehog's family surround it.

"Move back! Give him some air, for goodness sake!" Radagast yells out to them.

Radagast continues his treatments, but they don't work. The hedgehog continues to writhe in pain. I stand back and watch the poor thing in sadness, knowing if Radagast couldn't do anything to help, there would be no chance of me being able to do anything.

Radagast sighs in frustration. "I don't understand why it's not working; it's not as if it's witchcraft. . ." he suddenly stops, a strange look coming over his face, and he speaks in a different, deeper voice than before, one I have heard of before when he healed me. "Witchcraft. Oh. but it is. A dark and powerful magic."

Hearing a noise, I look up and my ears go flat against my head, my fur bristling as I start growling. Several giant spiders crawl up the side of the house, using their long legs to try to break in.

Radagast hurriedly braces the door shut with a bench. I look back to Sebastian as I hear him suddenly croak. He gasps for air a few times before becoming still. I whine as I walk over and gently nudge him with my nose, but he doesn't move. Looking to the wizard, I see he's about to cry; however, the house starts creaking with the sound of the spiders crawling over the roof.

I continue barking and growling as Radagast runs over to his staff and pulls out the blue stone embedded at the top. As all the small rodents and other animals in his house flee, Radagast sits against against the tree, cradling Sebastian and whispers a spell, while holding the blue stone to the hedgehog's muzzle. I stand in front of him protectively, while I keep barking and growling as the spiders begin to break through the thatched roof.

I stop as the hedgehog suddenly gasps for air. Looking around, I see the hedgehog awake and his little legs wiggling, Radagast looking down happily at the creature. Light returns to the area as the spiders crawl off the house. Running outside, Radagast and I see spider webs all around the house, and the giant spiders crawling off into the forest.

"Where on this good earth did those foul creatures come from?"

A bird flies over to us. 'I saw them! I saw them coming from the fortress!'

"The old fortress?" the bird nods. "Show me."

The bird flies on ahead as Radgast rides through the forest on his sleigh pulled by several large rabbits, his Rhosgobel Rabbits, the fastest rabbits in Middle Earth. I run beside Radagast, thankful for the races I would have with the rabbits as they helped to increase my speed and stamina. As he proceeds, the forest becomes dark and gloomy, covered in cobwebs.

After some time, we stop a few yards away from the edge of the forest where Radagast leaves the rabbits and I follow him. Reaching the forests border, we see a large and old fortress, a stone bridge between us and it.

My tail drops between my legs and I hang my head, my ears drooping. 'I don't know about this, Radagast. There's something about that fortress that I don't like. What if there's something there?'

"It'll be alright, Violet. It's been abandoned for years, we'll be safe. You can stay with the rabbits if you want to."

I shake my head. 'No, I'm not leaving you alone in there.'

He nods. "Alright. Come along."

He walks on, me following as we cross the stone bridge and entering the dark and ruined fortress, Radagast has his staff at the ready while all my senses are heightened and alert.

We walk through the corridors and soon come to a small circle clearing. As we do so, I stop as I hear something creak slightly. Looking back, I see nothing but a statue. All of a sudden, I hear a noise from behind. Turning, I see the spirit of a man attacking Radagast with it's sword. Jumping back, I bark at it, turning it's attention to me. While it is distracted, Radagast swings his staff, sending the spirit flying, which vanishes with a screeching, the sword dropping to the ground with a clatter as it turns from spirt to real.

Hearing Radagast gasp, I turn to see the shadow of a man down another corridor. I growl as it starts whispering something in a speech I don't recognise. Whatever this is, I do not like it. I can feel the darkness pouring off of it.

"Violet, run!" Radagast suddenly calls.

I turn and run with him, after he's picked up the sword. We run back the way we came, through corridors, over the bridge and back into the forest, bats chasing after us.

"Quick! Quickly! Run!"

As we reach the rabbits, they have already started running, causing Radagast to run faster.

"Wait for me!"

He soon catches up and jumps onto the sled. We race through the forest with the bats behind us, dodging tree trunks, Radagast hitting on of the bats with his staff. I give out a yelp as one lands on my back and bites my shoulder, Radagast hits that one as well.

We soon make it to the house, the bats having long since given up their chase of us. Radagast stops the rabbits and we go back inside the house. Putting the sword on the table, he rushes to me.

"Are you alright?" he begins ruffling through my fur to get to the bite.

I pant heavily. 'I'm fine, it was just a small bite. I think it was more shock than anything.'

He spreads a salve onto the bite anyway to prevent infection. Who knows what's been in that bat's mouth. Once he's done, he stands at the table, looking at the sword. I walk over and jump up, placing my front paws on the table.

'Radagast, what on earth was that spirit? And that shadow?'

Radagast looks to the sword for a moment before he turns to me. "That spirit was one of the nine Wringwraiths, that shadow. . .it is the Necromancer."

I look to him. 'A Necromancer? I had thought none of such existed?'

"So did I. . .until the spirit."

'The Wringwraths. . .didn't they serve the Dark Lord Sauron before Isildur defeated him?'

Of course I knew all about Sauron. About twenty years ago, when father had allowed me to travel more than Greenwood, Gandalf had taken me to Rivendell when I asked, wanting to see the valley from his stories. While there, Lord Elrond had told me stories of the world, of the battle he fought in when Isildur had killed the Dark Lord. He had even taught me of the elven language, which I was excited to learn. Every few years, I would return and spend a few months in the valley.

Radagast nods at my question. "They did. Which is what I fear now, why would a Necromancer summon the spirits of the servants of Sauron."

He took the sword, wrapping it up in a cloth.

"I need to find Gandalf, I have to tell him of what we found. You should return home."

I jump down and follow him as he begins preparing to leave. "You're not going alone, Radagast. I'll come with you, I will be able to find him faster than you could. I'll ask a bird to send a message to father, he'll understand why I'd do this."

He looks to me for a few moments before nodding. "Alright. Get me your pack, I'll fill it up while you send your message."

I nod as I grab my pack from the room I stay in and passing it to him as I slip outside. Calling down a bird, I get her to relay a message to my father, informing him of what has happened and I'll be going with Radagast to find Gandalf. I watch her leave as Radagast comes out and attaches our packs to the sled before taking the handles.

"Are you ready, Violet?"

I nod. "Ready when you are, my friend."

He nods and gives the order for the rabbits to run, with me right behind.

* * *

Radagast and I have been travelling without rest for the past few days, looking all over Middle Earth for Gandalf to inform him on what we found.

As we are running, I suddenly stop and look around, my ears pricked up and fur bristling. My whole feeling on edge, as if something is following us. I can smell something foul on the air, but I don't know how far away it is.

"Violet, what is it child?" Radagast asks once he notices I'm not following.

'I don't know. . .something doesn't feel right.' I turn back to the wizard. 'Keep going, Gandalf is just ahead.'

"Are you sure?"

I nod. 'I am. I just want to make sure we are safe.'

He nods. "Alright. Be careful." he continues on, his rabbits pulling the sled along.

I turn back and look through the trees of the forest I'm stood in. I couldn't see anything so I decide to run back the way we came to investigate.

* * *

Kili is standing beside his older brother, Fili, with Bilbo and some of the dwarves while Thorin, Gandalf, Dwalin, Bofur, Gloin and Nori have gone to investigate the troll cave they found.

"Well, I never imagined we would come close to becoming troll food." Kili thinks aloud.

He hears his brother chuckle. "Yes. That was quite an adventure in itself." He then turns to the hobbit. "It was rather clever of you to distract the trolls, even if we were a bit slow and almost ruined your plan."

Kili grin slighty; remembering how he and the others had cursed the halfling when he hinted the trolls should skin the dwarves and insinuated that the dwarves had worms. It wasn't until his uncle gave him a swift kick in the backside and realised the plan.

Bilbo flushes slightly at fili's complient as he stutters, "Oh. . .erm. . .yes. . .y-you're welcome."

It's obvious to all that Bilbo is still uncomfortable around the dwarves, even after travelling with them for the past month or so. Sharing a look with his brother, they both silently agree that they will get their burglar to open up to them. After all, they still have quite a way to go before they reach Erebor, they might as well spend some time getting to know the hobbit and making him feel part of the company since their uncle was still trying to ostracise him from the group.

Speaking of their uncle, Kili spots him walking out of the cave with a sword, which looks to be of elven make.

Kili looks to Fili, "Since when would uncle willingly have an elven sword?"

Fili just shrugs as the others come out of the cave. Gandalf walks over ot Bilbo and both brothers see him give the hobbit a small dagger. Well, at least he now has something to defend himself with, even if he doesn't know how to use it yet, it is still better than nothing.

All of a sudden, Thorin yells out; "Something's coming!"

"Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourself." Gandalf orders.

Fili and Kili pull out their weapons and follow the others into the woods. After a few tense moments, a rabbit-drawn sled barrels out of the trees. Controlling the sled is a man, a slightly crazed man by the looks of him.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" The man yells as he pulls the sled to a stop.

Taking a closer look at the man, he wears a brown cloak over his clothes and wears a fur hat and boots. He has brown scraggy hair and beard with streaks of grey running through both. As Kili looks closer, his face crinkles in disgust as he sees bird crap in his hair and sticking to his face.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown!" Gandalf exclaims in surprise.

Kili raises his brow. This is supposed to be a wizard? Apart from the staff, he looks nothing like one.

"What on earth are you doing here? I thought Violet was staying with you?"

Kili glances at Fili at this. Who's this Violet Gandalf asks about.

"She's right behind me, she'll be here soon. We were looking for you, Gandalf. Somehting's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?"

Radagast opens his mouth, but then closes it again with a look of confusion on his face. He opens his mouth to try again, but then closes it like before. He seems to have forgotten what he was going to say.

"Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue."

His tongue then curls up inside of his mouth, a look of surprise spreading across his face.

"Oh! It's not a thought at all; it's a silly old. . ."

Gandalf pulls a stick insect out of the shorter wizards mouth, to the disgust of the others.

"-stick insect."

Kili raises his brow again. This man has officially lost his marbles.

Kili's head suddenly looks back into the trees.

"Thorin, something else is coming!"

The dwarves were instantly on edge.

"Ah! That will be Violet." Radagast says after setting the insect free.

Turning back to the trees, Kili is alarmed to see a large grey wolf leap through the branches, landing before them. The dwarves raise their weapons, ready to attack before Gandalf speaks.

"Violet! There you are."

Kili looks to the wolf. _This_ is Violet? A wolf?

* * *

 **There's chapter two! Everyone has met Radagast and are about to meet wolf Violet! Please leave your lovely reviews! Love to here from you all!**


	3. Thirteen Dwarves and a Hobbit

**Hi guys! Chapter 3 is up! Hope you all enjoy!**

 **Review responses;**

 **ZabuzasGirl** \- Thank you! Here's the next chapter for you!

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- Yes, there's just one love interest in this. Which will be Kili. And to answer your second question, you'll have to see in this chapter :D

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- Thank you! I'll admit, I was a bit nervous about doing this as it's something totally different to what I've done before, but I'm glad it's working!

And yes, I do believe that she will still have her clothes on when she changes back.

And I will tell you now, yes that prince is certainly Kili!

* * *

 **Thirteen Dwarves and a Hobbit**

After finding nothing of immediate danger, I turn to run after Radagast. My nose instantly picks up on him and Gandalf, as well as other unfamiliar scents, of them being different. I cannot tell exactly how many people there are, but I know there's a lot.

Following these scents, I finally leap out of the trees and into a clearing where I am instantly facing weapons from thirteen hostiles dwarves.

"Violet! There you are." I hear Gandalf say.

Looking to my left, I see him standing next to Radagast. Smiling, and with my tail automatically wagging, I walk over.

'Gandalf! Finally! We've been looking all over for you!'

I allow him to pet my head as I stand next to him. I only indulge on the tamed part of my wolf self with those I truly trust. Which, at the moment, are father and the two wizards.

"Well, you have found me now. Radagast and I will go talk. Will you keep guard for us?"

I nod and lick his hand, allow Radagast to pat my head before they walk off to talk alone, leaving me alone with thirteen dwarves and, surprisingly, a halfling.

Ignoring the dwarves, I leap on top of a tall boulder, keeping my senses alert as I look around. I can feel the stares of the others on me for a moment before they turn away, still armed.

Still sensing the gaze of one of them, I glance back and notice a young dwarf staring at me. He has dark brown hair, that held a few braids, brown eyes and dark stubble on his chin and above his upper lip. He wears a navy tunic, a black cloak, black pants and boots.

I have to admit, he is quite handsome for a dwarf. He has a rugged look about him, which I find attractive, but there's also a boyish charm about him, which I find intriguing.

I turn my attention back to keeping watch, remember my father's stern words about dwarves, on how they are greedy and blind to the lives of those they seem lesser than their own. I know I'm not going to have any trouble becoming attached to him, let alone any of the others, Radagast and I will soon be making out way back to Greenwood.

Turning my head around, my ears stood up, I let out a growl, which startles the others. They all turn to me, weapons raised slightly, but they relax when they realise I am not looking at any of them.

"What's wrong with her?" I hear one of them ask.

"Maybe she's heard something." Another replies.

It's then there's a howl ringing through the air. I growl more as it is a howl I recognise as Wargs.

"Was that a wolf?" the meek voice of the Hobbit asks. "Are there - are there wolves out there? Well. . ." he glances to me. "Other than her."

The floppy hatted dwarf answers, his face full of fear. "Wolves? No, that is not a wolf."

I suddenly start snarling as a Warg appears from behind a nearby crag. As it leaps towards a grey haired dwarf with intricate braids, I run and barrel into it's side, clamping my jaw around it's throat as we roll to the ground. The black haired dwarf stabs the Warg just as I snap it's neck, our combined efforts killing it. Another Warg appears, but the brown haired one shoots it with an arrow, which the fierce bald one slices it with his aze.

Gandalf and Radagast appear as the black haired dwarf pulls his sword out and turns to the wizards.

"Warg-Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" the Hobbit asks in disbelief.

Gandalf turns to the dwarf. "Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?"

"No one."

"Who did you tell?"

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?"

I glance at him at this. Durin. . .did he mean Durin of the Lonely Mountain? As I take a good look at him, I realise that this must be Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, Prince of Erebor. My parents had told my brothers and I all about the Lonely Mountain and of it's sacking. My mother had also told us of how she met the dwarf prince long before she met my father when the dwarves stayed in the settlement she lived in at the time.

"You are being hunted."

I am brought out of my thoughts by Gandalf's voice and remember the situation we are in. Wargs and Orc packs.

"We have to get out of here." the bald dwarf states.

"We can't!" One of the younger dwarves exclaims as he runs over with a dwarf that has an axe in his head. "We have no ponies; they bolted."

"I'll draw them off." Radagast suddenly says.

Gandalf and I look to him.

"These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you." Gandalf tries to reason.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try. Violet can only just keep up, I'm sure I can outrun them."

I walk over to the Brown wizard. 'I'm coming with you.'

"No. You stay with Gandalf. Your father would never forgive me if I put you in direct danger." he turns to the Grey wizard. "Gandalf?"

Gandalf nods. "I'll take care of her."

I look back to Radagast, my friend and mentor who has become more like a second father to me. I nuzzle my head under his hands and he kneels down, allowing me to rest my head on his chest.

"I'll b alright, Violet. You'll see me again. I promise."

I pull away and lick his cheek that hasn't got crap on it. He smiles before going to the sled, removing my pack and hands it to me. I bit onto the straps to hold it in my mouth.

"We need to hurry, come." Gandalf says as he walks in the opposite direction the Wargs came.

As I follow, I turn back to Radagast, who gives me a smile and a reassuring nod. I turn back and follow the others out of the woods where we hide behind some rocks. As we wait, I see a hand take the straps of my pack. Looking up, I see the attractive brown haired dwarf, who smiles, a dazzling smile at that.

"I can hold that for you, if you wish." he offers.

I just look at him in surprise. I did not expect one of the dwarves to offer to help me, especially after what father told me. I open my mouth, allowing him to take the pack, giving a nod of appreciation as he slings it onto his back.

"Come and get me! Ha ha!" I suddenly hear Radagast.

My ears prick up as I hear the Wargs getting distant as they give chase.

"Come on!" Gandalf orders as he runs on, with us right behind.

We run across a rocky plain, with me keeping an eye on Radagast as we go. After a while of running, we stop as we see the orcs chasing Radagast on a hilltop not far away.

"Stay together." Gandalf says as he turns in a different direction.

"Move!" Thorin orders as we move on.

I am relieved that the dwarf took my pack when he did. I would have dropped it at least five times now, the desire to pant being too much.

As we reach more rocks, Thorin stops as Radagast rides past, the orcs right behind. The young dwarf who informs us of the ponies starts to run out of cover.

"Ori, no! Come back!" Thorin exclaims as he grabs the collar of the dwarf's shirt and pulls him back.

We wait a moment for the Wargs to get ahead a bit, giving me a chance to catch my breath, my tongue hanging out as I pant hard and fast. The last time I had to run this hard, with the fear of being killed was when father and I escaped from Azog six decades ago.

I then notice the hobbit looking at me.

"Are you alright?" he asks worriedly.

I nod as Gandalf gets us to keep moving.

"Where are you leading us?" Thorin asks.

Gandalf doesn't answer as we keep moving.

We soon take cover behind an outcropping of rock. As we hide, I hear and smell one of the Wargs from above and I growl under my breath. The brown haired dwarf suddenly steps out and fires and arrow, causing the Warg to topple to the ground.

As the Orc stands to attack, I quickly bolt past the bald dwarf and lock my jaws around it's neck. Before it has time to do anything, I jerk my head to one side, breaking it's neck and killing it instantly.

I hear the bald dwarf grumble as a few others take out the Warg. I just give the dwarf a bloody, toothy grin, tail wagging, which makes the dwarf shakes his head, Gandalf gets us to keep moving, the Wargs nows turning their attention from Radagast to us.

As we run through the grassy plains, Wargs begin to surround us on all sides.

"There they are!" A red-haired and bearded dwarf exclaims.

"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf yells out.

We follow him as we run in another direction but soon stop as we face the Wargs again.

"There's more coming!" The brown haired dwarf cries out.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin shouts.

Finally, I have a name for the young dwarf as he shoots at the Wargs.

"We're surrounded!" I hear the blond dwarf shout as we all bunch up together.

I stand beside the hobbit to protect him as the Wargs get closer.

"Where is Gandalf!?" Kili asks.

Looking around, I see Gandalf has vanished. Where in the world has he gone!?

"He has abandoned us!" The bald dwarf accuses.

He can't have abandoned us, he wouldn't!

We all gather close to each other to protect one another, Kili is stood away from us, still shooting the Wargs. I watch Ori using a sling shot to shoo a rock at one of the Wargs, which has no effect.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin calls out to us.

"This way, you fools!" Gandalf's voice suddenly calls out.

Looking around, I see Gandalf drop down behind a rock. Thorin runs over and stands on another rock in front of where Gandalf dropped down.

"Come on, move! Quickly, all of you! Go, go, go!"

The dwarves and the hobbit all slide down into a cave behind the rock. I stand by the entrance as they all drop down.

"Kili! Run!" Thorin yells.

Looking up, I see Kili turn and run towards us, a Warg close behind him. I tear off from where I'm standing towards the dwarf. Running past him, I run right into the Warg, sending the both of us rolling on the ground as we fight.

* * *

Gandalf, the dwarves and Bilbo has safely gotten into the cave. As he does a head count, Gandalf notices someone missing.

"Where is Violet?" he asks.

The others look around and also notice the wolf is missing. It's then they hear a yelp from above, but it's not a yelp from the Wargs.

"Violet. . ." Kili mutter to himself.

They may have only met the wolf an hour ago, but Kili's heart broke when he heard the yelp coming from her. She saved his life and is currently trying to save all of her lives, putting her own at risk.

They suddenly hear a horn being blown and the sound of weapons clanging together. An Orcs suddenly falls into the cave, an arrow sticking out of it's chest. Luckily it's already dead.

Thorin pulls out the arrow an examines it.

"Elves." he hisses in disgust before tossing the arrow aside.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" Dwalin asks from the path ahead.

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur instantly says as he rushes for the path, the others behind him.

"I think it would be wise." Gandalf insists.

Kili turns to the wizard. "Gandalf, what about Violet?"

Gandalf smiles at the young dwarf. "Oh, fear not young prince. I have a feeling we will be seeing our wolf soon."

Kili looks to him for a moment before following his brother down the path.

The company follow the narrow path, the dwarves having some difficulty, especially Bombur, who has to be pushed from behind by his cousin, Bifur.

They soon come out into an open area which over looks onto a valley below. They see tall white buildings that seem to come out of the mountain, green grass, greener than any grass Kili has ever seen, trees and a few waterfalls falling down from the mountain. Kili has to admit, for elves, it is a beautiful place. He would never say this out loud though.

"The Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name."

"Rivendell." Bilbo utters.

"Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea."

Thorin stalks over to Gandalf with a thunderous look on his face.

"This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me."

Kili follows the others along the ridge and into Rivendell, all the while thinking about the wolf and hoping he would see her again.

* * *

 **There we have it! Chapter 3 up and done! Please leave your lovely reviews and stay tuned for chapter 4!**


	4. The Last Homely House

**Hey all! I know I said in the update to A Light in the Darkness I'd have two uploaded over the weekend, but I've been suffering from writer's block over the weekend and couldn't bring myself to writing anything. But, I've finally got this chapter up for you all! I'm working on the next one, not sure when it will be up though! Before I forget, I've changed Violet's age from seventy-five to twenty-five. Just realising with her being human/Dunedain, she's going to live longer than humans, but still shorter than dwarves. So needed to change her age to twenty-five, luckily she'll still be of age. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Review Responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- Violet goes with Gandalf and the dwarves. Radagast won't want to put her in direct danger like that. You'll find out everything with Rivendell in this chapter.

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- :D Kili doesn't have a thing just yet! He's just very curious and very thankful for the wolf that saved his life. But he will end up developing a thing for her soon. . .not sure when though, so I'll leave you in suspense about that :D! Here's the next chapter for you!

 **ZabuzasGirl** \- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this! Here's the next chapter!

* * *

 **The Last Homely House**

Reaching Rivendell, the company walk across a bridge overlooking a stream which runs from one of the waterfalls. A few elves can be seen strolling around the valley. Kili can see Bilbo gazing around in awe at the beauty of the place. Kili has to silently admit again that the place is beautiful, but he still feels slightly uneasy as well as the other dwarves.

"Mithrandir." A new voice calls out.

Looking up, the company sees a dark-haired elf walking down a flight of stairs towards them.

"Ah, Lindir."

Gandalf and the elf greet each other, most of the dwarves mutter to each other in distrust. Kili hears Thorin telling Dwalin to stay sharp. The elf, Lindir, says something to Gandalf in his native tongue.

"I must speak with Lord Elrond." Gandalf says to the elf.

"My lord Elrond is not here."

"Not here? Where is he?"

Just then, the horn that they heard earlier in the cave rings out from behind. Turning, they see elves riding towards them on tall horses.

" **Ifridî bekâr!"** Thorin orders Hold ranks!"

The dwarves bunch up together into a tight circle, Bofur pulling Bilbo into the middle of their circle. The dwarrows have their weapons out, pointing outwards as the mounted elves arrive and ride in circles around them. One of the elves, who is mounted on a black horse, separates himself from the others.

"Gandalf."

Gandalf bows gracefully. "Lord Elrond." he then proceeds to speak in elvish.

Elrond speaks back in the same tongue before he dismounts and embraces the wizard.

He pulls away and holds up an Orc blade. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near." He hands the sword to Lindir.

"Ah, that may have been us."

Thorin steps forward, and Elrond looks upon him with recognition.

"Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain."

"I do not believe we have met."

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain."

"Indeed; he made no mention of you."

Ignoring the insult, Elrond begins to speak in elvish. Not understanding what he is saying, the others become tense.

"What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" Gloin growls.

The dwarves grow bellicose and grip their weapons uneasily. Gandalf speaks exasperatedly, Elrond looking on in amusement.

"No, Master Gloin, he's offering you food." Gandalf explains.

The dwarves gather together and quickly and quietly mutter among themselves before turning back to the elf and wizard.

"Ah well, in that case, lead on."

"I am afraid I will have to ask Lindir to lead you to where you can rest. We found someone in need of healing by the pass." Elrond explains.

Kili suddenly perks up. "You found Violet!? Is she alright!?"

Elrond turns to the young dwarf, sensing his wary for the skin-changer.

"She will survive, but is gravely injured."

"Can I see her?"

"I'm afraid now would not be a good time. I need to heal her and she will need her rest."

Kili nods in disappointment but agrees to keep away for now, not wanting not wanting to hinder her healing.

Kili follows the others, all the dwarves decline their own rooms, wanting to stay together, so they place their belongings on a balcony. Kili takes Violet's pack and looks to it, at first wondering why a wolf would need a pack, but his worry for the animal overrides that thought. Elrond gave him the comfort that she would survive, but he still worried for her, especially since she saved his life as well as her being friends with Radagast, who had also risked his life to save them. He just hopes she will be alright.

He feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to see his brother standing behind him.

"She'll be alright, Kee, she's strong." he tells him, seeming to read his mind.

Kili nods. "I hope you are right."

Fili squeezes his shoulder in comfort before they are lead to another balcony where dinner is set out.

* * *

The first thing I feel when I wake up is a dull pain in my right upper arm and my left thigh. I realise I am in my human form as I feel my fingers gripping bed sheets underneath me. Opening my eyes, I find myself in a bright room. To my right is a big open window, the breeze gently blowing through, making the curtains sway.

I smile at the familiarity of the room. Rivendell. I'm back in Rivendell, my third home. My first with my father and the second with Radagast.

"I am glad to see you awake, _Draug-hin_." A voice announces from the door.

I look over and smile as I see Lord Elrond standing in the doorway.

"My Lord Elrond. It is wonderful to see you again." I say as I greet him with my right hand over my chest.

"As it is to see you again. Although, I wasn't expecting to see you with thirteen dwarves."

I chuckle. "Believe me, that wasn't my plan. Radagast left me with Gandalf so he could distract the Orcs."

"And getting yourself injured in the process." He points out as he changes the bandages on my arm.

I give a small smile. "A Warg was about to attack Kili, the young dark haired dwarf. I couldn't let it get him."

Elrond smiles as he finishes my arm and moves onto my leg. "That was a brave thing to do. Although, I don't think your father will be pleased you risked your life for a dwarf."

I chuckle. "That maybe so, but I couldn't let him get hurt."

He smiles as he finishes changing the bandages. "Well, apart from the deep scratches on your arm and bite on your leg, you don't have any other injuries. Luckily they haven't been infected."

I nod. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Almost two days. The young dwarf has been worried about you."

I give a shy smile. "Is he alright? And the others? Did they get here alright?

Elrond nods. "Gandalf got them here safely, do not worry."

I breath a sigh of relief. "Thank Yavannah. Am I alright to get up and walk around?"

He looks to me for a moment before nodding. "I will allow it, as long as you take it easy."

I nod as he allows me to go to the room I use when I come here. Entering the bathroom, I strip down and bring careful of my freshly wrapped wounds, I wash myself, scrubbing my body and hair clean. Once I am done, I dry myself off and dress in a dark green elven dress with a silver leaf pattern stitched into the bodice and the hem of the dress.

As I look in the mirror of the dressing table, I sit to brush my hair, watching the black locks of my mother fall down my back. The black locks is the main thing that I can remember about her. I don't even remember anything about my four older brothers, only that they were very brave as they defended the rest of us with their dying breaths.

I love my father very much and I am so relieved I still have him in my life, but I miss the rest of my family.

As I finish brushing my hair, my gaze catches the milky white orb in my right socket, cursing the pale orc who had given me the deep scar running down from the hairline, across my eye and over my lip where it stops at my chin.

I sigh as I look down to my left wrist to see the manacle I was chained up with still on my wrist. My whole life changed in the space of a few months. One day I was in the mountains, playing with my friends and the next I am a prisoner of Azog, my brothers and half of the village dead and the rest of us being tortured.

I am brought out of my thoughts by a knock on the door. "Come in."

The door opens and I smile as Gandalf walks in.

He smiles. "Violet, it is wonderful to see you on your feet again."

I smile back. "As it is to see you, the dwarves and the hobbit are safe."

"Of course we would be safe. We all are, thanks to you."

I smile shyly. "How could I let Kili be killed?"

"The same selfless Violet I have known since you were but seven years old."

I give a shy shrug. "I try. Erm, is there any chance I can see the dwarves? Kili still has my pack."

He looks to me in curiosity. "Kili has your pack?"

I nod. "He took it from me before we ran from the Wargs to keep it safe."

He nods. "Come with me."

I follow the wizard as we leave my room, limping behind him.

"They do not know about what I am yet, do they?" I ask.

"They do not." Gandalf replies with a shake of his head.

I chuckle. "This will be interesting."

Gandalf also chuckles. After a few moments, we arrive at where the balcony where the dwarves are staying. Even without my heightened hearing, I could still hear the dwarves from the other end of Rivendell.

The dwarves look up when Gandalf and I enter.

"Gandalf, who is this?" Thorin asks as he looks to me suspiciously.

"This, is my very good friend, Violet."

The dwarves just look at him.

"Your friend has the same name as the wolf?" The floppy hatted dwarf asks.

I step forward and stand beside the grey wizard. "This may come as a surprise, Master Dwarf. But, I am the wolf."

The dwarves stare at me for a moment before half of them laugh, some smiling in disbelief and Thorin rolling his eyes.

"How can you be the wolf? You're human." The hobbit says, having just caught the end of the conversation as he walks in.

I smile at the halfling. "I'm a Skin-Changer, Master Hobbit."

"Do you mean like a furrier?"

I look at the hobbit in horror. "Oh, my! No! No, I mean I can change my skin into an animal, in my case, I change into a grey wolf."

"Can you show us?" The blond dwarf asks.

I turn to Gandalf for confirmation, he nods before standing back. I turn back to the others and let my wolf side take over, feeling my bones and limbs getting shorter and my hands and feet turning into paws as I stand on all fours, my spin arching slightly. Fur grows over my skin, my ears now twitching on the top of my head, my one good eye turning from brown to gold and a fury tail grows out of my backside. The manacle I wear on my wrist now wrapped around my left foreleg

The dwarves all jump up in shock, even Thorin, the hobbit almost falling back down the stairs he came up from.

"Mahal's beard! You really are the wolf!" The bald dwarf exclaims.

I move my head up and down in a nod.

"That's how you were able to understand me." Kili realises, again I nod.

"This is unnatural. It's obviously some dark spell." I hear the grey haired dwarf with the elaborate braids mutter.

Gandalf turns to him with a stern look on his face. "Don't be a fool; she's under no enchantment but her own."

The dwarf grumbles as he realises we overheard him.

'Gandalf, can you ask for my pack, I'd like to get changed?' I ask.

"Ah, of course." he turns to Kili. "Could you pass Violet her pack?"

"Oh! Sure." Kili walks over to the packs in the corner, rummaging through before packing out mine and walking over to me. I take the straps in my mouth as Gandalf turns to me.

"Violet, go get changed and come back here, my dear."

I nod as I leave the balcony and go back to my room, wondering what Gandalf could want me for.

* * *

 **There you go! Everyone is at Rivendell and the Company know about Violet's secret. If you want to know more on how they react to her, then stay tuned. Please keep leaving your wonderful reviews!**

 **Translations;**

 **"Ifrid bekar!** " - Ready weapons!

 _Draugh-hin_ \- _Draugh_ is elven for wolf and _hin_ for child, so I've put them together to make _draugh-hin_ , wolf-child.


	5. The Company of Thorin Oakenshield

**Hi all! I am so sorry for this chapter being so late, I did not intend for it to be this late. But, here's the next update for you! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up within a day or two. . .if not, then Friday maximum. Hope you all enjoy it. Oh! Before I forget, I've changed the first chapter very slightly to add in another character to Violet's family.**

 **The only characters I own are Violet, her mother, siblings and any other of Violet's family you don't recognise xx**

 **Review Responses;**

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- She'll still have the wounds and they will still be bandaged. Unfortunately, the change doesn't heal wounds.

I'd love to see a wolf try to raise an eyebrow lol! It'd be comical to watch.

And no, I can't wait for that part either! Though it is quite a few chapters away.

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- The Numenoreans who are of the line of E;ros live to be 400, other lines are 350. The Dunedain are 150-180 years, except for the kings of the Dunadan who live longer. We'll be seeing the Goblins and Azog in about. . .three maybe four chapters. Not sure yet.

 **Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967** \- I'm glad you did!

* * *

 **The Company of Thorin Oakenshield**

The dwarves and the hobbit watch the wolf leave the balcony.

Thorin turns to the wizard. "Why did you bring her to us?"

"You mean apart from retrieving her pack? I brought her here in the hope that you would consider accepting her on our quest."

The other dwarves mutter to themselves at hearing this. Thorin merely raises an eyebrow. "Now why would I accept a woman on our journey?"

"Well, she knows these parts of Middle Earth very well. When she is in her wolf form, she has a heightened sense of sight, smell and hearing, so she will be able to track better than any of you can. She can also keep a better watch out for danger.

"That doesn't seem like a bad idea, Thorin." Balin speaks up, causing the Dwarf King to look to the old dwarf. "You know that I also know these parts, but it would be nice to get help from someone who has keener senses than I. I'm not getting any younger."

Thorin doesn't say anything for a while as he thinks about this. He's already regretting Gandalf's choice of burglar, he didn't want to regret bringing this woman with them. Although. . .this woman would prove to be of more use than the hobbit. He's right that she would have better senses than any of them, so she will be useful for hunting, tracking and as he said, keeping an eye out for danger. She's also already proved she's willing to get into a fight, already saving Dori and Kili from being eaten by Warg's. He wonders why Gandalf didn't just employ her as their burglar instead of the hobbit.

Thorin sighs. "Very well. I will talk to her first."

Gandalf simply nods, seeming to accept his decision.

* * *

I walk back to the balcony after changing into my beige cotton, knee length pants and brown tunic, my feet bare as they usually are when I'm in Rivendell. I wear nothing else, except for the manacle on my wrist.

I glare down at the iron circle, the main reminder of my imprisonment. However, I have always vowed that it would stay there until Azog has been defeated, whether by my hands, my father's or someone else's. My father also wears the same manacle on his left wrist, the chains still attached from when he wrenched them off before we escaped.

Reaching the balcony, I walk in to see the dwarves huddling together and the hobbit sitting beside Gandalf. I walk over to the pair, Gandalf smiling as he notices me.

"Ah, Violet, there you are my dear."

"You wanted me for something, Gandalf?" I ask as I notice the others staring and Thorin giving me a hard look, whatever for I have no idea.

"Yes, I did. I'd you just come with me, Thorin and I need to talk with you."

Glancing at the dwarf leader, I follow as Gandalf leads us up some stairs to a pavilion. I sit across from Gandalf, Thorin stood leaning against a marble pillar with his arms folded across his chest.

"What did you need me for, _mellonamin_?" I ask the Grey Wizard.

"I've been talking to Thorin here, and I believe you will be a good asset to the company."

I blink, not expecting this. "You want me to join the company?"

I look between the two, Gandalf smiling as Thorin look to me in hesitation for a moment before he nods.

"Gandalf has told us that you know this side of the Misty Mountain?"

I no. "I know this area pretty well. From here to the Eastern Woods."

I notice his expression harden further at the mention of the woods, but he doesn't say anything.

"You'll also be able to help with tracking and keeping an eye out for danger, thanks to your wolf form." Gandalf explains.

I no as I turn to Thorin. "If you are sure that you want me to join you, then I accept."

Thorin nods. "Very well. I will have Balin write up a contract for you. You will receive one fifteenth of the treasure for your service to us."

I shak my head with a smile. "With all due respect, I don't need any treasure. I appreciate the thought, but I have no need for materialistic things."

He looks to me in surprise for a moment before he nods. "If that is what you want. However, I do wish to give you something for saving my nephew."

My eyes narrow in confusion. "Nephew? You mean Kili?" Thorin nods. "It was my pleasure. I couldn't stand back and let him get hurt or worse, killed. It is not in my nature."

Thorin lets a small smile slip onto his lips at this. "I still wish to thank you."

I smile and nod. "If that is what you wish, then very well. But I won't accept too much from you."

He nods. "We'll be leaving in just over a weeks time, so you'll have enough time to heal from your injuries."

I nod as the three of us return to the others. They all look up as we make our down in expectancy.

"Balin, have a contract written up for Miss Violet here." Thorin says, causing the dwarves to cheer.

I blush slightly, not exepcting this reaction from them. Thorin sits next to the bald headed dwarf and a dwarf with white hair and a white beard which splits in two at the bottom and flicks up slightly. Gandalf puts an arm around my shoulders and walks me closer to the group.

"Allow me to introduce you to our company. You already know our leader, Thorin Oakenshield, with him are the brothers Balin and Dwalin."

Balin looks up from his writing and gives me a kind smile and a bow of his head, Dwalin just nods his head in greeting.

"Then there's Oin and Gloin,"

He points to two older dwarves, one with grey hair and a beard who holds a golden ear trumpet, so I gather he is either fully deaf or almost. Next to him is a dwarf with long red hair and a long red beard. They both bow to me and I smile as I incline my head to them.

"The Ri brothers, Dori, Nori and Ori."

I recognise Ori as the one that Thorin stopped from running out in front of the Orcs he has flaming red hair and wore knitted jumpers and gloves. Then there was the grey haired dwarf that has the elaborate braids in his hair, I guessed him to be Dori, so the other would be Nori, the one with the same coloured hair as Ori and his hair styled like a star, three points on the top of his head, his eyebrows were even braided into his hair they were that big. The three of them bow like the others did, Dori not looking too pleased, whether he still thinks of me having a dark spell on me, I do not know.

Gandalf turns to the next dwarves, but doesn't has the chance to say anything before the dwarf with the floppy hat speaks up.

"Nice to meet ya, lass! I'm Bofur. This is my brother Bombur and our cousin Bifur."

He indicates his brother as the biggest dwarf with red hair and his red beard in a circle and hanging over his protruding belly. He gives me a shy smile and I smile back before turning to their cousin, the one with the axe protruding from his forehead. He has wild black hair with specks of grey. His moustache and beard the same colour, his moustache having thick braids on either side of his lips and his beard one thick braid. He says something to me in a different language, causing me to look at him in confusion.

"He says he's pleased to meet you too." Bofur translates for me.

I smile at the wild looking dwarf. "It's a pleasure to meet you also."

Bifur smiles back as Kili and the blond dwarf steps forward.

"Fili." The blond introduces.

"And Kili."

"At your service." They both say together as they bow in sync.

I giggle slightly at this, it must have taken them some time before they could be so in sync with each other. Although, with them being brothers, it probably came naturally to them.

I smile and bow my head. "Violet at all of yours."

Gandalf turns to the Hobbit. "And last but not least, this is Bilbo Baggins."

He smiles. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Violet."

I smile back. "As it is to meet you, Master Bilbo."

We all sit around a camp fire the dwarves have made, which I notice they have used some of the elves furniture to do so. I hide a grin say nothing on it.

"So, Miss Violet, since we'll be travelling together, how about we get to know more about you?" Bofur suggests.

I smile. "What would you like to know?"

The young dwarf, Ori, took his chance to speak up, albeit shyly, as he took out a book and quill to write. "What is it like to be able to change into a wolf?"

I smile at his eagerness to learn something new. "It's. . .definitely an experience. Thanks to the change, my senses are slightly hightened in human in form than normal, which I like. Unlike other Skin Changers, I can actually control my animal side. Mama always put it down to my half blood."

"Half?" Kili asks curiously.

I nod. "Half Skin Changer, half Dunedain. My mama was one of the Dunedain Rangers before she met my papa."

Balin looks up from where he's still writing out the contract. "Dunedain? You don't see many female Dunedain these days."

I smile. "She was the first. She was trained by my grandfather along with my cousin, Arathorn."

Thorin looks to me, as well as Balin and Dwalin.

"Arathorn? Was he related to someone called, Arathor?" The exiled King asks.

I look to him, wondering how he could know him. "Yes. . .Arathor was his uncle."

The three look at each other with solemn expressions on their faces, even a couple of the older dwarves look solemn.

I look to Thorin. "You knew Arathor then?"

He nods. "I did. Regrettably not for long. He and his men fought with us in the Battle of Azanulbizar, and they fought well. Arathor fought side by side with me and he fought hard and well. . .right to the end. He was a good man. . .one I would have liked to have known better outside of battle."

I smile at this. I never knew much about Arathor, it was usually hard for my family to talk about. But to know something, even if it's as small as what Thorin has told me. . .it brings a warm feeling to my heart.

"What was he to you, lass?" Balin asks me.

"He was my grandfather."

They look to me in surprise.

"I didn't know he had any bairns." Dwalin mutters.

"He didn't. . .not at the time. . .mama was born a few months after his death, so she didn't get the chance to meet him."

Balin looks at me with regret written over his face. "I'm sorry lass. . .for you and your mother."

I give him a small smile. "That's very kind of your, but there's no reason to apologise. I'm sure mama and he have become really close by now."

They all look at each other in sorrow, apart from Gandalf who already knows the story.

"You mean. . .you mother is no longer with us?" Kili asks me.

I shake my head. "No. She died twenty four years ago."

Everyone goes silent at this. Fili speaks up, trying to change to subject.

"So. . .do you have any other family?"

"Of my immediate family, there's just me and papa now. But, outside of us I also have my cousins from mama's side of the family."

They say no more on my family, sensing it to be a touchy subject.

"If I may ask, what happened to your eye? Can you truly not see out of it?" Bilbo asks.

I give a small smile as I run my fingertips down the scar along my face. "No. I was attacked by orcs when I was a child. Papa managed to save me, but not before the orc left it's mark on me."

"And the shackle on your wrist?" Gloin asks.

I look down to my wrists to look at the heavy metal. "I would rather not talk about that, Master Dwarf. It is a reminder of a painful time in my life."

No one says anything after this, but I know a couple of the dwarves find me to be suspicious because of the shackle. Gloin and Dori mainly. After a few moments, Balin clears his throat as he hands me the now finished contract.

"Here you are. Contract of employment to Thorin Oakenshield. All you need to do is sign it and you will be an official member of the Company."

I take the contract from him and have a quick read of it, reading that I would be fulfilling the role as navigator and upon completion of employment, would receive some of the treasure of Erebor. At the mention of the lost kingdom, I look up.

"Erebor? What is this about Erebor?"

"That is our quest. To retake the Lonely Mountain from Smaug." Thorin explains.

I stare at them all in shock for a moment before I grin as I sign the contract. "I don't know whether to think you all as brave or stupid."

Most of them chuckle, Thorin's lips quirk upwards slightly in amusement.

"How about 'stupidly brave?'" Kili suggests.

I laugh. "That works." Passing the contract back, I nervously fiddle with the cotton of my pants. "Would. . .would we see Dale at all?"

"Quite possibly, seeing as Dale is on Erebor's front doorstep. Why do you ask?" Dwalin speaks up.

"My gramma was born there. It would be nice to see the place of her birth."

"She was born there?" Thorin asks.

I nod. "A year before it's destruction."

They look at me in shock for a moment before Bofur pats my back. "Well, it seems as though we were meant to meet after all. You have a reason for this quest, just like the rest of us."

I just smile as Balin folds up the contract after checking it over. "Everything seems to be in order, lass. Welcome to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield."

The dwarves start cheering, even Bilbo cheers slightly, Gandalf just smiling. For the rest of the night, I sit with the dwarves, laughing and chatting along with the dwarves. Father had mentioned to be before that dwarves were greedy, selfish and blind to the lives of others that are lesser than their own. . .but I don't get any of that from this group. These dwarves have been nothing but friendly with me, and apart from a couple of suspicions, have treated me as one of their own. I am really looking forward to getting to know them all as our journey continues.

* * *

 **There we have it! Please stay tuned for more and keep your lovely reviews coming!**

 **Translations:**

 _Mellonamin_ \- My friend


	6. Relaxation in Rivendell

**Hey all! Quick update for ya this time! Just a little note for those that I might have confused in the last chapter. Violet and Aragorn are second cousins. Her mother and Arathorn are first cousins and her grandfather and Arador are brothers. I think I've made her family tree as bad as any Hobbits! So, sorry for the confusion!**

 **Just a little side note on Violet and her siblings births, deaths and age of death;**

 **Etan (pronounced A-tan): 2884 - 2917 (33)**

 **Valerio (pronounced Va-lair-rio): 2890 - 2917 (27)**

 **Quillon (pronounced Kill-on): 2890-2917 (27)**

 **Karamati (Kaa-raa-mat-ee): 2902 - 2917 (15)**

 **Violet (Vi-o-let): 2911 (Is now 30)**

 **Peony (P-o-knee): 2916-2917 (Nine months - was born mid winter)**

 **Review responses;**

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- Already explained this in message lol! But, yes, Violet's life is a sad story, one that I think deserves a happy ending!

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- One thing you need to learn about our dear Violet, she loves adventures. So, any chance to see more of the world, she'll take it!

 **thewolf74** \- here's the next chapter for ya!

 **sugarbee25** (for chapter 1) - Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying!

 **sugarbee25** (for chapter 2) - Yes, he has lost his marbles! But, I love Radagast! So had to have more interaction with him!

 **sugarbee25** \- Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope I didn't confuse you too much of her family tree! Here's the next chapter for you!

* * *

 **Relaxation in Rivendell**

I wake up to the sun beaming in my face and to the sound of the dwarves waking up around me. Last night, I decided to stay with the dwarves instead of sleeping in my room. I slept in my wolf form, feeling more comfortable as the only woman among a group of thirteen male dwarves and a male hobbit.

I wake with a yawn and stretch out my body. Feeling something swat my tail, I look back to see Kili glaring playfully at me as he sits up on his elbows.

"Do you mind not wagging your tail in my face when I'm trying to sleep?"

I just give a wolfy grin as I swat his face with my tail, causing him to yelp and fall on his back in surprise. The dwarves who saw laugh aloud, even Thorin has a slight grin.

"I suppose I should have seen that coming." he grumbles as he gets up.

I grin again as I leave them and go to my room so I can bathe and change.

Once I am clean, changed and had my bandages redressed by Elrond, I make my way to the balcony where the dwarves are sitting and eating breakfast, which of course they complain at the lack of meat. I sit in between Kili and Bofur as I eat some porridge.

"So, Violet, do you know how to use weapons?" Fili asks me.

I shake my head. "No. I've not had the need to learn. I have teeth and claws, why would I need a blade?"

"That's one advantage there, lass." Bofur says with a grin. "Nothing to weigh you down in a fight."

"Apart from thick fur, no."

They chuckle.

"Well, the Elf Lord has given us use of their training grounds, if you would like to come watch us." Nori offers.

I smile at the red haired dwarf. "I would like that, it will be interesting to witness the fighting style of dwarves."

"Well, we'll give ya a show you won't forget. Right lads?" Bofur asks with a grin.

The dwarves give a round of 'ayes' which causes me to chuckle.

* * *

After breakfast, I lead the dwarves to the training area and sit on a bench with Balin and Bilbo, Ori sitting nearby with his book as we watch the others begin.

I have to say, I am impressed with what I see. I have seen the fighting styles of men and elves and the grace and power both races hold. But the dwarves, while surprisingly, still having some of that grace, they hold tremendous power in their swings and hits. I'm suddenly glad I don't use weapons so that I don't have to train wiht them.

As I am talking with Balin, I suddenly hear a high voice call out my name. We look up and I smile as I see a young boy of ten with black shaggy hair wearing a green tunic and brown pants running towards me.

"Estel! There you are my boy!"

I stand as he reaches me as I pick him up, holding him in my arms as he wraps his own around my neck.

"I missed you Vi! You've been gone ages!"

I smile as I sit down with him in my lap. "I'm sorry Estel, I didn't mean to be away for so long. But, look at how much you have grown!"

He smiles. "Mama says I grow more and more everyday!"

I chuckle. "I'm sure she is right, _tithen pen_."

"And who might this young one be?" Balin asks from next to me with a smile.

Estel looks to him with wide eyes. "You're a dwarf!"

Balin chuckles. "That I am. My name is Balin."

Estel just continues to stare at the old dwarf. I chuckle.

"Come now Estel, it's rude to stare."

He looks to me, a sheepish look on his face. "I'm sorry, _muinthel_."

I smile as I kiss his head before turning to Balin. "This is my little cousin, Estel. But, he's more like my annoying little brother."

"Hey!" Estel cries out in indignation.

Balin and Bilbo laugh as they hear. Estel turns to the hobbit, climbs down from my lap and runs over to look at his feet.

"Why are your feet big and hairy?" he asks curiously.

"Estel! Don't be so rude!"

Bilbo just smiles as he waves off my comment. "It's alright Violet." he then turns to the boy. "I'm a Hobbit, I was born with big, hairy feet, just like my kin."

Estel looks up to him. "A Hobbit? You mean from the Shire?" Bilbo nods. "What are you doing way out here?"

Biblo stumbles, not knowing how to answer.

"I brought him here, _muindor._ He and the dwarves." I say to him. "They're are travelling across the mountain and I am leading them over. We came here to rest."

Estel turns to me. "You're leaving again?"

I nod to him sadly. "In a week I will be."

He comes over to me and puts his hands on my knees. "But. . .you only just got here."

I smile as I run a hand through his hair. "Then we had better make the most of my time here, hadn't we?"

He nods as he climbs back on my lap and wraps his arms around my waist. I wrap my own around him and hold him close.

"Who do we have here?" I hear Thorin's voice.

Looking up, I see him and the other dwarves have join us so they can meet the little boy.

"This is Estel, my adopted little brother. Estel, these are my friends."

I introduce him to the dwarves and as soon as I introduce Thorin to him, he stares at the dwarf in awe.

"Thorin Oakenshield. . .the King of the Lonely Mountain?"

Thorin raises his eyebrow at the lad. "You know of the mountain?"

Estel nods. "Uh-huh. Erestor told me about it in my studies of the history of Middle Earth."

"Ah. Well, no, I am not King of the Lonely Mountain. But, my grandfather was many years ago."

"Wow. . .Can you teach me how to fight?" he asks as he eyes the dwarves swords.

Thorin looks to me then to the lad. "I do not think that is such a good idea."

"Aww."

I chuckle. "Come on, Estel. Let's go find your mama and leave the dwarves to their training."

"Okay." He turns to Thorin. "Can I watch you train tomorrow?"

Thorin smiles at him. "If it is alright with your mother, then you can."

"Yay!" he cheers before he jumps down and runs off.

I also smile as I stand. "Thank you, Thorin. I apologise if we disrupted your training."

He shakes his head. "Not at all."

"Come on, Vi!" Estel shouts from across the garden.

"I'm coming, Estel!" I call out as I turn and run after him, taking his hand as we go back inside.

* * *

The two of us make our way to the library, the place I know Gilrean likes to spend a lot of her time. Walking in, we indeed find her sitting on one of the sofas as she reads.

"Mama! Mama, look who's here!" Estel cries as he runs over to her.

Gilrean looks up and smiles as she sees me walking over.

"Violet! I heard you had returned and have been eagerly awaiting your visit!"

I smile as we embrace each other. Ever since I met Gilrean after mama died and she married Arathorn, Gilrean has always been like a second mother to me, helping me in ways only a mother could, which is something I think my father was always thankful for.

"I am sorry I didn't come sooner, _naneth._ "

Gilrean shakes her head as we pull away. "Don't be sorry. Elrond told me you were injured when you came. How are you feeling now?"

"My arm and leg are sore, but apart from that I'm fine."

She smiles. "That is good. Elrond also tells me that you are travelling with the dwarves that arrived a few days ago?"

I nod. "Yes. Quite by accident, I assure you. But, it was a good accident."

"Does your father know?"

She takes my silence as the answer no and laughs.

"Oh Violet. I do not want to be there when he finds out."

"He'll be fine with it. . .I hope."

She snorts in laughter. "You hope. Well, I wish you luck with that homecoming."

I smile as I sit with her and Estel and the three of us spend the rest of the day together.

* * *

Over the night week, I spend my time divided up between the Company, Estel and Gilrean. Estel usually accompanies me when spending time with the Company as he has become enamoured by the dwarves.

The dwarves had also took a liking to little Estel, even big, tough Dwalin took a shine to the boy and you can often see him either showing Estel how to use an axe or telling him stories.

Bifur had even carved out some wooden dwarves for the lad after he showed no fear of the wild dwarf with the axe in his head. In secret, as we watch Bifur and Estel interact, Bofur and Bombur had told me how after he got the axe after the Battle of Azanulbizar, children had kept away from him, now fearing him because of the axe, and being a toy maker, it really put a damper on his life and ambition to continue making toys. But, after the first time Estel showed no fear when speaking to him, that same night, Bifur had started carving toys for the lad. I smile everytime I watch Estel and Bifur playing with the toys together, feeling so much pride as I watch him.

Fili and Kili have taken the biggest shine to Estel, always trying to spend as much time with him as they can, either showing him how to use a small blade or a bow or just playing with him. One time ended with a big game of chase between myself, Estel, Fili, Kili, Ori, Bofur, Nori and even Bifur joined in.

I spend the nights with Gilrean in the Hall of Fire, just talking and catching up on old times, which I enjoy as I do not have any other females to interact with.

* * *

It has now been over a week since we first arrived in Rivendell, my wounds have now fully healed thanks to Elrond.

I am sitting with the dwarves on the balcony this night, Estel sitting in my lap as we all talk and laugh. Estel and I are sitting in between Bofur and Bifur in front of the fire as Bofur is cooking a sausage over it and Bofur is trying to do the same to some lettuce, I do not have the heart to tell him you can't cook lettuce .

I look up as I hear a creak from Bombur's direction to see him sitting on a small bench with his plate piled up high with food.

"Bombur." I hear Bofur call out.

He throws the sausage he is cooking to Bombur, who catches it, and immediately, the bench he is sitting on breaks underneath him. The dwarves and Estel break out in laughter while I chuckle.

I stand and help Bombur get back up. "That was awful of you, Bofur."

Bofur just grins. "Hey, what can I say, he's my brother. I have to tease him every now and then."

I smile as I sit back with Estel. "My brothers used to be like that. Teasing me and pranking pretty much everyone."

"You had brothers?" Ori asks.

I smile and nod. "Mhm. I had four brothers and a little sister."

Bofur whistled. "Big family. Not as big as Bombur with twelve bairns."

I look to Bombur with wide eyes. "Wow Bombur, they must be a handful."

Bombur smiles. "Aye, they can be."

"Mama could barely cope with six of us, I would have hated to have seen her with twelve!"

They chuckle at that.

"What were your brothers like, Violet?" Kili asks.

I give a small smile as I remember my brothers. "My oldest brother, Etan, was the protector of us all. He was always there for us, whenever we had a problem we could go to him with anything. Then there were the twins Valerio and Quillon, they were the pranksters out of all of us." I smile at Fili and Kili, "You two remind me a lot of them with how you both act around us. Always smiling, always laughing and up for a good prank or joke. I'd reckon you four would have got along with each other really well." They both grin at this. "Then there was the youngest brother, Karamati, he was my parents miracle child. After the twins, mama and papa tried for another child for years after until he was born twelve years after. Kara and I were close, being as he was closer to me in age than the others. We were always seen together running around hand in hand."

The others grow quiet for a moment. "You mentioned a sister?" Bilbo pipes up as he and Thorin join us.

I nod. "Yes. Peony. She was a happy little baby. Always smiling."

"What happened to them?" Bofur asks.

I stay quiet for a while before I clear my throat and stand with Estel in my arms. "Come on you, it's time you were in bed."

"Awww! Can't I stay with you for longer?" Estel protests.

"No, now say goodnight."

He and the dwarves say goodnight to each other before we make for the door.

"Violet, I'd say your goodbyes now. We're leaving first thing in the moring." Thorin reminds me.

I nod as Estel looks between me and him. "You're leaving tomorrow?"

"I'm afraid so, _tithen pen_. I'll be back though, you'll see."

He looks uncertain.

"We'll watch over her lad, don't worry." Balin reassures him.

The other dwarves agree and Estel gives a little smile before we leave the room. Taking him to his bedroom, he gets changed for bed and I tuck him in.

"You promise you'll be back, Vi?"

I give him a warm smile. "I promise. I'm not about to leave you, _muindor_. I love you too much to leave."

He smiles as he sits up and holds me. I hold him close to me, running a hand through his hair.

"I'll miss you, Vi."

"I'll miss you too. You be good while I'm gone, okay?"

He nods into my chest. I lay down with him, humming away until he eventually falls asleep. Kissing his head, I get up and leave, pausing at the door to watch him sleep peacefully. I hope I can keep his promise about returning. I know what I will be facing towards the end and can only hope I survive long enough to at least see him once more.

* * *

 **Well, there we have it. Chapter 6 is up, and I'm loving this chapter. The action shou** **ld be picking back up in the next few chapters now that Violet is a part of the Compnay! Please read on and keep leaving me your nice reviews!**

 **Translations;**

 _Tithen pen_ \- Little one

 _Muinthel_ \- Sister

 _Muindor_ \- Brother

 _Naneth_ \- Mother


	7. Misty Mountain

**Hey all! Just an apology for how late this chapter is. . .I got too involved in I See the Light. . .my bad lol. And another apology with how short this one is, but I felt it needed to be ended here for what I have in store. Please read on for more!**

 **Review Repsonses;**

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- :P I know! No matter the age, he's cuddly ^_^.

Even though it's been twenty four years since what happened, it's still hard to talk about. Everyone will find out soon.

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- Azog will be in the chapter after next. . .unless I can fit him in the next chapter. . .we'll see.

 **sugarbee25** \- I never even realised until you just mentioned, I had to go back through reviews just to check lol! No apologies needed, it happens :D. I had to put little Estel in, how could I not!? The dwarves and Bilbo will know about her past soon, don't worry.

 **thewolf74** \- So am I! Next chapter up for ya!

* * *

 **Misty Mountain**

Just before dawn, we all pack up and leave Rivendell while everyone else are either sleeping or in the council meeting.

By the time the sun has risen, we are hiking along a path away from Rivendell.

"Be on your guard; we're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Balin, Violet, you two know these paths; lead on."

"Aye." Balin says as I leap up from beside Fili and Kili and walk beside the old dwarf in my wolf form

"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up." I hear Thorin say.

Looking back, I see Bilbo turn from where he was looking at Rivendell and following us as we walk.

* * *

We spend the next few days walking the wilderness with either myself or Balin in the lead. I spend most of my time on alert with my ears cocked up, keeping a listen out for any dangers.

Luckily, we don't come across any dangers until we come to the Misty Mountains on the fourth day. I have to change into my human form as we end up walking across a narrow ledge, a cliff side on the left and a sheer drop on the right. The clouds have darkened, the rain pouring down in sheets, lightning flashes in the sky and thunder crashes all around us.

"Hold on!" I hear Thorin call out from the front.

Hearing a scuffle from behind, I look around to see Dwalin pulling Bilbo back from where the stones gave way, causing him to slip.

"We must find shelter!"

"You don't say." I think to myself sarcastically.

"Watch out!" Dwalin suddenly bellows.

Looking up, we see a massive boulder hurtling through the air, which hits the mountainside above us, causing rocks to fall all around us. Kili presses me into the wall, covering my body with his own to keep me safe.

"Are you alright?" he asks me once he moves back.

I nod as I thank him.

"This is no thunderstorm; it's a thunder battle! Look!"

Looking up at Balin's shout, looking through the dark, we see a stone giant rearing from a nearby mountain, ripping off a massive boulder from the top of the mountain peak across from us.

Bofur stands forward in shock. "Well bless me, the legends are true! Giants! Stone Giants!"

The giant throws the boulder, hitting another giant which suddenly appears from around the corner we just came from.

"Take cover: you'll fall!" Thorin calls back.

Reaching forward, I pull Bofur back just as the rocks beneath our feet start to give way, making the ledge narrower and harder to stay on.

"What's happening!?" Kili suddenly calls out as the ground starts to split the group.

"Kili! Grab my hand!" I hear Fili shout.

Bilbo, Dwalin, Bofur, Bombur, Ori, Fili and I end up being on one side of the mountain, as the gap widens, which turns out to be the knee of another stone giant. Looking ahead, I see Kili looking between his brother and I in horror and worry.

I feel Fili's arm go around my waist to keep a hold of me as the leg starts moving. Looking to the others, I breathe a sigh of relief as they jump off the other knee and safely onto the mountain.

I watch in fright as our giant starts fighting with the others two, all three punching each other. One of them punches the mountain, sending rocks to rain down on the others, but lucky they don't get hurt.

I panic as the head of our giant suddenly hurtles towards the mountain where the others are, but soon worry about the others and myself as the mountain suddenly comes close as the giant falls. I feel Fili's arm grip me tightly as we all jump off the giant and land on an outcropping of the mountain as the knee hits the cliff.

I hear Thorin shouting for his nephew, thinking all of us perished in the collision. I lay on the ground next to Fili, both of us breathing heavily. I just can't believe our luck, we managed to survive. . .barely.

"They're all right! They're alive!" I hear Balin shout as I stagger to my feet.

Kili suddenly comes around the corner and pulls Fili and I into an embrace. I embrace him back, surprised by the motion. I smile at him as we pull away, but then panic as Bofur calls out;

"Where's Bilbo? Where's the Hobbit?"

Whipping around, I notice he is not with us.

"There!" Ori yells.

I look over and see him hanging onto the cliff side.

"Get him!" Dwalin calls out as Bofur and Ori lay on the ground to get him.

Fili and Kili hold me back as we watch helplessly. As they are trying to reach him, Bilbo slips and falls another few feet before he catches another handhold. Thorin suddenly swings down on the cliff next to Bilbo and boost him up, where the others pull him to safety. I breathe a sigh of relief but then Thorin loses his grip.

Dwalin launches himself forward and grabs Thorin's arm. Groaning and grunting, he manages to pull him onto the ridge with us. I breathe a sigh of relief as my shoulders sag slightly. We're all still together.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar." Dwalin says.

I watch as Thorin gives Bilbo a grim look. "He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us. Dwalin!"

They go off and find a cave. Looking to Bilbo, I see him have a sad look on his face. I just put an arm around his shoulders as we follow Thorin and Dwalin as they find a cave.

"It looks safe enough." Dwalin states.

"Search to the back; caves in mountains are seldom unoccupied." Thorin orders.

Dwalin searches the cave with a lantern.

"There's nothing here."

Gloin drops a bundle of wood on the floor, when we are all inside, and rubs his hands together.

"Right then! Let's get a fire started."

"No, No fires, not in this place. Get some sleep. We start at first light."

Balin turns to Thorin. "We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan."

"Plans change. Bofur, take the first watch."

He nods as he sits by the entrance to the cave. As the others settle down to sleep, I change into my wolf form and curl up in between Fili and Kili, allowing them to huddle up to my warm, dry fur. I smile as I feel Kili's hand on my back, his hand gently gripping my fur before I fall asleep.

* * *

"WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" I suddenly jolted awake by Thorin's bellow.

I jump onto my feet just before the floor beneath us opens up and we all fall through a tunnel, hitting the rock wall on our way down, until we hit a wooden walk way. I look up and see bones tied around us to look like a cage. As I jump off the others, I hear shrieks and look up to see goblins making their way towards us.

I leap up and start attacking the goblins, biting and scratching them as they come close. As I am fighting, I don't notice one of them swinging a club at me until I turn and see the club as it hits my head and I fall off the platform. The last thing I know is hitting the walls as I'm falling before everything turns black.

* * *

 **There we have it! Violet's fallen far underground! Wanna find out what's happens with Gollum? Find out in the next chapter! Please leave your lovely reviews! I love hearing from you all!**


	8. Riddles in the Dark

**Hey guys! I hope you're all ready for us to meet with Gollum!**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- She'll be meeting Gollum/Smeagol with Bilbo, and as for the ring. . .well you'll have to find out.

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- Yes, Bilbo will be there with her. She won't have a panic attack with the orcs since she's already faced them just after meeting the dwarves. . .Azog however. . .that's a different matter

 **thewolf74** \- Everything will turn out fine in the end, as you are about to find out.

* * *

 **Riddles in the Dark**

I groan as I feel myself coming round. My whole body aches. Opening my eyes, I see I have landed in an underground tunnel, a dark tunnel, I can barely see the snout in front of my face. Standing up, I let out a little yelp as I try to put weight on my front right paw. Looking at it, I see it has swollen to twice it's size. It doesn't feel as if it is broken, so it is either sprain or fractured. . .times like this I really need Oin.

I stop as I suddenly hear a voice shouting from up ahead;

"Too many boneses, Precious! Nothing of flesh!"

"Shut up! Get its skin off. Start with its head."

Two voices. . .but, it sounds like the same person. Limping on ahead, I see a blue glow. Following it, I jump back as I come face to steel with a blade. I breath a sigh of relief as I see the owner as Bilbo, he also breathes a sigh of relief seeing me.

"Violet, am I glad it's only you. Are you alright?"

I whimper and hold up my injured paw. He gently takes it into his hand and carefully looks it over.

"We'll get Oin to look at it when we find the others."

I nod whine as I carefully nudge his hand with my nose, seeing the skin on his knuckles broken and bleeding.

He just smiles as he waves it off. "I'm fine, don't worry. Let's just get out of here."

I nod again just as the voice from before starts to sing;

"The cold hard lands, they bites our hands, they gnaws our feet. The rocks and stones, they're like old bones, all bare of meat. Cold as death, they have no breath, it's good to eat!"

"Stay with me, Violet." Bilbo whispers as we both walk on ahead.

Rounding a corner, we see a creature sitting on top of a rock in the middle of a small lake. The creature is singing as he beats a goblin's body.

Walking to the edge of the lake, we stand behind a rock and watch as he smashes the goblin's head with a rock.

The creature suddenly looks up in our direction and we quickly hide behind the rock. Bilbo's blade, which is glowing blue, starts flickering, then completely dies out. I remember being told before that it glows blue when orcs or goblins are nearby. . .so we know the goblin is dead.

Peeking out from behind the rock, we panic as the creature is no longer there. I growl slightly as I hear a wheezing sound from above. Looking up, we see the creature slink over the top and jump, landing in front of us.

Getting a good look at the creature, I see he has pale skin, as if he hasn't seen the sun in a long time, blue eyes, wisps of hair on his head and is wearing a brown loin cloth.

"Bless us and splash us, Precious! Those are meaty mouthfuls!" it exclaims as it eyes us.

I growl slightly as it approaches, but Bilbo places the point of his sword on the creature's throat, causing it to retreat in fear.

"Aaahh. Gollum. Gollum. Ack"

Gollum? Is that it's name?

"Back. Stay back. I'm warning you, don't come any closer." Bilbo says as he keeps his sword pointed at the creature.

"It's got an elfish blade, but it's not an Elfs. Not an Elfs, no. What is it, Precious? What is it?"

"My name is Bilbo Baggins."

Gollum looks at Bilbo in confusion. "Bagginses? What is a Bagginses, Precious?"

"I'm a Hobbit from the Shire."

"Oh! We like Goblinses, batses, and fishes, but we hasn't tried Hobbitses or wolfses before. Are they soft? Are they juicy?"

I bare my teeth this time as Gollum approaches again, Bilbo holding out his sword in front of him and wildly waves it about.

"Now, now, K-keep your distance! I'll use this if I have to!"

Gollum snarls at us, causing Bilbo to step back, I stand in front of Bilbo, ready to pounce if need be.

"We don't want any trouble, do you understand? Just show us the way to get out of here, and we'll be on our way."

"Why, are they lost?"

"Yes, yes, and we want to get unlost as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Gollum answers in a lighter voice.

"Ooh! We knows! We knows safe paths for hobbitses and wolfses. Safe paths in the dark."

"Shut up!" His voice suddenly reverts back to the scratchy voice.

Bilbo looks on in confusion. "I didn't say anything."

"Wasn't talking to you."

Bilbo and I glance at each other in confusion as Gollum continues to talk to himself.

"But yes, we was, Precious, we was." the lighter Gollum speaks.

"Look, uh, I don't know what your game is, but I-"

Gollum suddenly gets excited as he jumps onto the rock he was hidden behind. "Games? We love games, doesn't we, Precious? Does it like games? Does it? Does it? Does it like to play?"

I stop growling as I look to Gollum. At the moment, he reminds me of how Estel would become excited at the mention of games.

". . .Maybe?"

Gollum holds up his hands, then begins reciting a riddle.

"What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees. Up, up, up it goes, and yet, never grows."

"The mountain." Bilbo says without hesitation.

Gollum begins laughing uproariously.

"Yess, yess, oh, let's have another one, eh? Yes, come on, do it again, do it-do it again. Ask us."

His voice changes again. "No! No more riddles. Finish him off. Finish him now. Gollum! Gollum!"

Gollum snarls, and begins rushing at Bilbo to kill him, I immediately drop down and growl menacingly, but Bilbo holds out his hand to stop him and begins speaking, while putting his other hand on me to calm me down.

"No! No, no, no. I wa—I want to play. I do. I want to play. I can see you are very good at this." Gollum has a wide pleased grin on his face at this. "S—so why don't we have a game of riddles? Yes, just, just you, me and my friend here."

Bilbo crouches until he is level with Gollum; Gollum scuttles forward, close to Bilbo, whispering excitedly.

"Yes! Yes, just, just—just us." he looks between Bilbo and I.

Bilbo smiles. "Yes. Yes. And—and if I win, you show us the way out."

"Yes. Yes -"

Gollum suddenly snarls, turning away from Bilbo. Gollum's two personality's talk to each other.

"And if it loses? What then?"

"Well, if it loses, Precious, we will eats them!"

Gollum laughs to himself, then turns back to Bilbo

"If Baggins loses, we eats it and wolfses whole."

There is a pause for several seconds as Bilbo digests this new information. I look to him, worrying for a moment.

"Fair enough."

Bilbo stands up and puts his sword away as Gollum looks on interestedly. I look to Gollum and back to Bilbo. He just reaches over and pats my head in reassurance.

"We'll be fine, Vi. I promise." Bilbo says.

I reach forward and nuzzle him to show I trust him. He smiles at me as Gollum speaks.

"Well, Baggins first."

As Bilbo thinks of a riddle, Gollum rests his hands and chin on the edge of a rock. I lay on the ground, staying near Bilbo, thankful to rest my injured paw.

"Thirty white horses on a red hill. First they champ, then they stamp, then they stand still."

As Gollum thinks, he keeps opening his eyes and mouth as if he knows the answer, then changes his mind. Even I try to think of the answer and after a few moments, immediately get teeth. I watch Gollum as he keeps opening and closing his mouth, before he finally replies.

"Teeth?"

Bilbo looks unhappy, as the answer is correct. Gollum becomes ecstatic and laughs throatily. I do have to smile slightly, he is exactly like a child.

"Teeth! Yes, my Precious. But we—we—we only have nine."

Gollum displays his mouth, showing that he really does only have nine teeth. My smile instantly vanishes. I can see Bilbo is also disgusted. Gollum begins reciting his next riddle, while getting closer and closer to the hobbit. Bilbo keeps a large rock between the two of them, while I keep a close eye on Gollum, waiting for any sudden movements.

"Our turn. Voiceless it cries, wingless flutters, toothless bites, mouthless mutters."

"Just a minute."

As Bilbo walks off thinking, I immediately follow to stay close as Gollum's evil face turns into Smeagol's excited face

"Oh, oh! We knows. We knows!"

"Shut up!" The scratchy personality scolds.

I almost let out a bark of laughter as Bilbo observes the water. As I see the water ripple, I realise it's wind at the same time as Bilbo.

"Wind. It's wind! Of course it is."

Gollum snarls in frustration and begins slinking around, approaching Bilbo.

"Very clever, Hobbitses, very clever."

I immediately jump in front of Bilbo, snapping my teeth towards Gollum as he gets too close, causing him to stop, giving Bilbo time to say his riddle.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah. A—a box without hinges, key, o—or, or lid; yet golden treasure inside is hid."

That's easy. Eggs. I watch Gollum as he thinks hard, talking to himself and making many hand motions.

"A box. . .and a lid. . .and then a key. . ."

"Well?"

"It's nasty. Uh, box, uh. . ."

"Give up?"

"Give us a chance, Precious, give us a chance!"

In frustration, Gollum pounding the floor and snarling. He puckers his face up deeply, then suddenly opens his eyes wide as he gets the answer.

"Eggses! Eggses!" He laughs as Bilbo and I sag slightly in disappointment. "What crunchy little eggses, yes. Grandmother taught us to suck them, yes."

As Gollum laughs, Bilbo and I are distracted by a bat squealing in the dark, it's wings fluttering. Turning back around, we see that Gollum is gone. Gollum's voice suddenly starts sounding like an echo from different parts of the cave. Gollum speaks his riddle from some unknown spot. I stay close by to Bilbo, almost tripping him over as I stay by his feet.

"Ahh. We have one for you: All things it devours, birds, beasts, trees, flowers. Gnaws iron, bites steel, grinds hard stones to meal. Answer us."

"Give me a moment, please, I gave you a good long while."

Bilbo tries to think while at the same time he walks around with his sword drawn, looking for Gollum,.

"I don't know this one."

I look to Bilbo, panicking slightly. If he can't answer this. . .we're both dead.

"Is it tasty? Is it scrumptious? Is it crunchable?"

As Gollum says 'crunchable,' Bilbo suddenly jumps forward. Looking back, I see Gollum has appeared over a rock and tried to grab him by him throat, I growl as Bilbo points his sword at Gollum.

"Let me think. Let me think."

"It's stuck. Bagginses is stuck."

Bilbo paces back and forth next to the water, thinking, Even I'm not too sure about this one. Gollum smiles eerily and puts up his hands in a shrug.

"Time's up."

Gollum shifts, preparing to leap on Bilbo. Time! That's it!

"Time. Ti—the answer is time."

Gollum snarls in frustration.

"Actually, it wasn't that hard."

I butt my head into his back playfully, knowing he was struggling really.

"Last question. Last chance."

My ears prick up as I hear the clatter of rock against rock. Looking at Gollum, I see him clutch a rock behind him. I glare and growl under my breath as I keep a VERY close eye on him.

Bilbo thinks for a moment. "Ah, uh. . ."

"Ask us. ASK US!"

The first time he says "Ask us," he says it sweetly. He then roars it a second time angrily, causing me to stand in front of Bilbo, the fur on the back of my neck bristling.

"Yes, yes, alright."

Bilbo strolls to the edge of the lake to think while I watch the creature.

"What have I got in my pocket?"

I look back at the hobbit, wondering what kind of a question that is.

"That's not fair. It's not fair! It's against the rules!"

At the sound of the rock being thrown, I whip my head back around to see he has thrown it on the ground in frustration. I head Bilbo make a startled noise.

"Ask us another one."

"No, no, no, no. You said 'Ask me a question.' Well, that is my question. What have I got in my pocket?"

Gollum jumps off his rock and runs towards Bilbo; Bilbo moves to keep a rock between him and Gollum, I jump on said rock, growling away.

"Three guesses, Precious. It must give us three."

Gollum holds up two fingers to quantify three.

"Three guesses. Very well, guess away."

"Handses!"

I look back to see Bilbo pulling his hand out of his pocket just in time.

"Wrong, guess again."

Gollum crouches on the floor, trying to think of the answer. He mutters potential answers to himself and slaps the floor in increasing anger and ferocity as he fails to come up with the right answer.

"Fish-bones, goblins' teeth, wet shells, bat's wings. . .Knife!"

"Oh, shut up."

Bilbo just stands watching. "Wrong again. Last guess."

"String!"

"Or nothing."

"Two guesses at once; wrong both times."

Upon hearing this, Gollum falls to the floor, sobbing. I breathe a sigh of relief as I jump off the rock carefully and stand beside Bilbo. He smiles as he rubs my head.

"So, come then, I won the game, you promised to show us the way out."

"Did we say so, Precious? Did we say so?"

Gollum slowly turns around and glares hatefully at Bilbo.

"What _has_ it got in its pocketses?"

Bilbo points his sword at Gollum as I glare at him.

"That's no concern of yours. You lost."

"Lost? Lost? Lost?"

Gollum grins as he slowly approaches us. He reaches for something hidden at his side; his face suddenly registers his shock and panic. He begins groping all over himself trying to find it.

"Where is it? Where is it? No! Ahh! Where is it? No! No!"

I look to Bilbo and back as Gollum scuttles around the cave, scattering bones and rocks as he searches in vain for the Ring. He even splashes through the shallows of the lake. His voice breaks as he cries.

"Lost! Curses and splashes, my precious is lost!"

"What have you lost?" Bilbo asks.

"Mustn't ask us! Not its business! No! Gollum, Gollum."

Gollum, leaning over the edge of the lake, sobs quietly. As he stares into the water, his sobs suddenly stop

"What has it got in its nasty little pocketses?"

I look back to Bilbo as he points his sword at Gollum. Looking back, Gollum slowly looks up in shock and anger. At first, he whispers; he then gets louder and louder until he is roaring.

"He stole it. He stole it! Ahh! HE STOLE IT!"

Snarling, Gollum throws a stone at Bilbo. Bilbo deflects it with his sword, then runs away. Gollum jumps for Bilbo but I growl as I jump at Gollum, crashing into him and we roll on the ground.

As I pin him to the ground, Gollum reaches up and bites hard into my shoulder. I howl in pain just before he hits me in the head with a rock, causing me to tumble off him.

He tears off after Bilbo, as I stagger to my feet, feeling disorientated from the hit to the head. I stay still for a moment, taking deep breaths to keep myself steady and to try to shake off the dizziness before I slowly try to make my way out, hoping I have given Bilbo enough time to escape.

* * *

Some time later, after hiding from Gollum once or twice, I finally find the exit and with a bark of happiness, run out into the sun, happy to be out of there at last. I lower my head to sniff the ground, trying to pick up on any familiar scent. I stop as I smell out the scents of the others, Gandalf and Bilbo included!

I feel so happy that Bilbo managed to get out. I run on, running towards the scent. Halfway down the hill, my heart soars as I hear Kili's voice.

"Wait, where's Violet?"

Finally knowing where they are, I change back into my human form, staggering slightly from pain and exhaustion.

"Where did you last see her!?" I hear Gandalf exclaim.

"Sh-She was with me in the caves." Bilbo explains. "We met this creature, I don't know what it was, but Violet attacked it so I could escape."

"We need to go back and find her!" Kili cries.

"That won't be necessary." I say as I arrive, smiling as I see everyone is together and alive.

"Violet!" They all cry out.

Kili instantly rushes over and hugs me. I grin through my pain as I hug him back, just relieved to be with him and the others again.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Fili asks once Kili and I pull away from each other.

I open my mouth to answer when there's a sudden howl from behind me. Looking back, I growl as I know the howls to be Wargs. The Orcs have found us.

* * *

 **There we have Gollum, next. . .Violet comes face to face once again with her nightmare. . .Azog the Defiler! Please keep leaving me your lovely reviews, I love haring from you all!**


	9. Nightmare Becomes Reality

**Hi all! I know it isn't Violet Saturday yet, but as I already had this typed up and waiting, I figured I'd give you all a lil gift for now, since you've all been eager for this chapter. This will mark the end of An Unexpected Journey and the next chapter the beginning of Desolation of Smaug, and also when Violet will return home!**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- Oh yes, she will definitely be having the chills at seeing Azog once more!

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- Ha! I see what you did there! And I love Gollum, his Smeagol side especially. He's kinda cute!

 **I always loved Gollums split personality. It makes him Precious :P**

 **sugarbee25** \- Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! And Violet will be, the meeting with him is not as harrowing as it was with Azog. You'll just have to see in this chapter what happens!

* * *

 **Nightmare Becomes Reality**

"Out of the frying pan. . ." Thorin mutters.

". . .and into the fire! Run! RUN!"

We all do as Gandalf says and run down the mountain as fast as we can. The wargs following us as it becomes night-time. Soon the wargs catches up to us, cutting off some of the group with the rest of us that reach the of the cliff where a tall tree rests right on the edge.

"Up into the trees, all of you! Come on, climb! Bilbo, climb!" Gandalf orders.

Bifur throws an axe, killing a warg which was approaching him. Bofur jumps off a rock and grabs a tree branch, using Dwalin's head as a stepping stone to the tree, I would have laughed if it wasn't for the situation we were in. Other dwarves begin climbing into the trees as well.

"Vi!"

Looking up to the voice, Fili and Kili both hold a hand out and I grab on, gritting my teeth to ignore the pain in my right wrist as they lift me up into the tree. Kili puts his arm around my waist as I am on the same branch as he.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

I nod. "I'm fine."

Looking around, I make sure everything is safe in a tree, breathing a sigh of relief once I have done a mental head count. The wargs finally reach us, scrambling up the trees to try to get to us. I growl as I can hear the blood-lust in their barks, wishing to sink their teeth into our flesh.

The wargs soon cease their growling and turn, following their gaze, I freeze, feeling my blood run so cold and I pale. Kili looks to me in confusion, wondering what could have possibly caused my reaction to the pale orc. The creature that has caused me so much grief, the one who blinded me and has haunted my dreams for twenty four years. . .

"Azog?!" I hear Thorin gasp.

Looking between dwarf and orc, I wonder what history those two could have. As his white warg growls, Azog strokes it and talks ominously.

 _ **"Nuzdigid? Nuzdi gast?**_ _**Ganzilig-i unarug obod nauzdanish, Torin undag Train-ob."**_

Thorin looks stricken with pain and grief.

"It cannot be."

Azog speaks to his wargs and Riders.

 _ **"Kod, Toragid biriz. Worori-da!"**_

At his command, the wargs leap forward and try to climb the trees. They jump as high as they can, scrabbling at the tree trunks and breaking apart branches in their jaws in their efforts. The trees shake violently at the assault, and we all struggle to hold on.

 _ **"Sho gad adol!"**_

With the weight of the wargs climbing it, the furthest tree from the edge of the cliff, which Bilbo and several other dwarves are in, gets uprooted from the ground and begins leaning wildly.

I watch helplessly as the wargs grab onto it, the tree tips over and lands on the next tree, ours; the dwarves and Bilbo jump from the falling tree to ours, and we have to jump from our tree onto the next. All too soon, the dwarves, Bilbo, Gandalf and I all cling to the last tree, on the very edge of the cliff. This tree doesn't fall over. Azog laughs.

Looking at the pale orc and the wargs with such hatred and anger in my eyes, I realise I have to do something to help. Azog already took most of my family, he won't be taking my friends. Pulling myself from Kili's hold, I swing myself off the branch and jump to the ground.

"Violet! No!" Kili yells out, along with a few others.

As I straighten, the wargs and even Azog, stare at me in surprise, until I turn into my grey wolf form; growling and snarling at them.

'You will not come near my friends!' I snarl at the wargs closest to me.

They snarl back, one of them coming closer as he speaks; 'Our master wants the dwarves dead, and we will obey him!'

The warg jumps at me and I dodge aside, leaping onto it's back and sinking my teeth into it's neck, managing to get pierce the jugular. I jump back off, allowing the warg to fall and bleed out. I turn back to the other wargs, ready for the next one, when a fireball flies past me from the tree and lands in front of the wargs.

Looking up, I see the dwarves lighting pine cones on fire and sending them at the wargs to keep them back, one of them lighting a warg alight and causing them all to flee behind the orcs. Azog growling in anger as I hear the dwarves cheering.

Hearing a creaking, I look back to see the tree starting to fall back, causing the dwarves to start hanging off the edge.

'NO!' I scream out in a bark, knowing only Gandalf would be able to hear me.

Looking back to Azog as I hear him growl, I can see a slight look of pleasure at seeing the danger the dwarves are in. I growl myself and run towards him, wanting to get vengeance for my family, the family he killed. Azog watches me in amusement and almost boredom as another warg, which I didn't notice, leaps up into me from the side, sending us flying and it and another pin me to the ground.

I hear Kili scream out my name as I try to struggle out from under the paws of the wargs. Glancing at the dwarves, my heart drops as I see Thorin running towards Azog. The pale orc spreads his arms wide with a smug grin on his face. Thorin growls as he runs with his sword up and his oaken branch shield held in front of him. Azog crouches, then roars as his warg leaps at Thorin. Thorin tries to swing his sword, but the warg hits him in the chest with its fore paw, smashing Thorin to the ground.

'No! Thorin!' I whine loudly, struggling hard to get free another warg has to pin me.

As Thorin gets back on his feet, panting, Azog and his white warg wheel around; they charge at Thorin again. Azog swings his mace and smashes Thorin in the face before Thorin can react. Thorin is brutally flung to the ground by the impact.

"Nooo!" I hear Balin yell out.

Azog roars in excitement as the white warg clamps its jaws around Thorin and Thorin yells in pain.

"Thorin! Nooo!" Dwalin's voice bellows.

As the white warg holds Thorin in its mouth, I manage to knock the wargs off me by swinging my paw at them and run at the white warg. Sinking my back claws into the warg, front clas into the pale orcs shoulders and teeth into its neck, I successfully get the warg to release Thorin, swnding him flying and landing on a rock. The wargs from before tackle into me, pinning me back to the ground. Both the warg and azog glare murderously at me, while I do the same back.

'Keep her there, I'll deal with her after.' the white warg growls to those pinning me down.

 _ **"Biriz torag khobdudol."**_ I hear Azog say to one of the orcs

I look up as one of Azog's warg Riders jumps off his warg and approaches Thorin. I struggle more at this, willing myself to do anything to protect the dwarf. As the orc swings his sword down, Bilbo suddenly appears and throws himself at the orc and knocks him over.

As they fight, Bilbo manages to stab and kill the orc. Pulling his sword out of the dead orc's body, Bilbo stands in front of the unconscious Thorin and protects his body. He waves his sword wildly at Azog and the other wargs. Azog smiles in hatred and speaks in the Black Speech to his Orcs.

 _ **"Kill him."**_

I watch helplessly as a couple of wargs and Riders approach Bilbo, snarling. Suddenly feeling the weight of the wargs lifting off, I look to see Kili dispatching the last warg. I give him a wolfish grin, joining him, Fili and Dwalin as they battle the orcs and wargs. Suddenly noticing Azog and his white warg approach Bibo to kill him, I bolt forward and jump in front of the hobbit, not willing to see anything happen to him.

'Do not come between my master and I cub, you will lose.' the white warg growls to me.

'As I told your fleabags, I will not stand back and allow you to kill my friends!'

I jump forward and swing a paw at its face, managing to dig a claw into its skin and scaring it like Azog did to me, blinding the warg in its right eye. The warg howls in pain, Azog glaring me down as I glare and snarl up at him.

I suddenly look behind his shoulder in surprise as giant eagles appear. I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing these eagles already. Some of them grab wargs and Orcs and tossing them over the cliff. Others knock down trees, which crush the wargs below them. Another eagle fans the flames with its wings, causing an inferno which burns the wargs. Azog snarls in frustration. One eagle gently grabs Thorin and his sword in its talons and flies away. As Thorin is lifted off the ground, his oaken branch shield slips off his arm and lands on the ground, Orcrist clattering to the ground also.

Azog roars and jumps back as an Eagle flies by him; the eagle heads straight for an alarmed Bibo and snatches him off the ground. It then throws Bilbo, and he screams as he falls toward the ground, only to land on the back of another Eagle. I run and pick up Orcrist in my mouth before another eagle gently grabs me in its claws and flies off. The rest of the eagles proceed to snatch the dwarves out of the tree and fly away. I hear Azog roaring in anger.

* * *

The eagles soar through the sky over a great distance and over many landscapes. Ahead, Thorin lies unconscious in one eagle's talons; we all worry about him.

"Thorin!" Fili yells out to his uncle.

The eagles approach a massive rock structure shaped like a bear, a small wolf's head sticking out underneath it; I smile as I recognise it as the Carrock. I'm nearly home!

The eagle carrying Thorin gently deposits him and his sword on a flat area on top of the Carrock. Another eagle lands on the Carrock and Gandalf slides off its neck, running toward the unconscious Thorin.

"Thorin! Thorin."

Thorin is not responding. Bilbo runs up. The eagle carrying me gently places me on my feet and I stand beside Bilbo as we watch Gandalf placing his hand on Thorin's face and whispering a spell. Thorin's eyes flutter open and he gasps for air. I breathe a sigh of relief as he speaks weakly;

"The halfling? Violet?"

"It's all right. Bilbo and Violet are here. They're quiet safe."

By now, the other dwarves all arrive on the Carrock, and they surround the wounded Thorin. Dwalin and Kili help Thorin up. However, once he's up, he shrugs them off and approaches Bilbo.

"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed! Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?"

Thorin advances until he is face to face with Bilbo, who looks worried and frightened. I stare at Thorin in shock and horror, wondering what he could be thinking, Bilbo saved his life!

"I've never been so wrong in all my life!"

Thorin grabs Bilbo and embraces him deeply. The other dwarves cheer loudly and slap each other on the back. Gandalf and I smile as Bilbo, looking quite surprised, hugs Thorin back.

"I am sorry I doubted you." Thorin says after a moment once he pulls away.

"No, I would have doubted me too. I'm not a hero or a warrior. . .not even a burglar."

The dwarves chuckle. Thorin smiles as he looks to me, kneeling in front of me he takes Orcrist from my mouth, chuckling as he sees my tail wagging automatically.

"Violet, I thank you for all that you have done for us. It wasn't your fight to get involved in, but like Bilbo you saved me. I will forever be in your debt."

I shake my head as I lean forward and nuzzle my head into him, causing him to pause for a moment before he wraps his arms around me, causing the dwarves to cheer. Pulling back I lick his cheek, causing him to smile before his eye catches something from behind me.

I turn and as the eagles are leaving, I notice in the distance a single solitary peak.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bilbo asks.

We all follow Thorin who walks to the edge of the Carrock.

"Erebor - The Lonely Mountain. The last of the great dwarf kingdoms of Middle-earth." Gandalf explains.

"Our home." Thorin says with a look on longing and pride on his face.

A bird cheeps and flies by.

"A raven! The birds are returning to the mountain." Oin pipes up.

More birdsong is heard.

"That, my dear Oin, is a thrush."

"But we'll take it as a sign - a good omen."

Thorin smiles to Bilbo, who smiles back.

"You're right. I do believe the worst is behind us."

The Company looks on at the Lonely Mountain as the sun comes up behind them. Feeling a hand on my head, I look up and smile as I see Kili smiling at me. I lean over and nuzzle his side, causing him to smile more as we continue to look at the mountain. The first part of our journey ends, another begins.

* * *

 **There we have it! An Unexpected Journey is now over! Next is the start of Desolation of Smaug! Please keep your lovley reviews coming, I love hearing from you all!**


	10. Home Sweet Home

**Hey all! It's time for the first every Violet Saturday! Hope you're all looking forward to today! I know I am!**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- Yes, Beorn will be making an appearance in this chapter. And yes, she was very brave. But, I think with anyone, vengeance and anger will override any emotion and after seeing the killer of her family. . .well, the animal instincts come out.

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- Oh I know, I'm the same. I mean, I think facing Azog would be a walk through the park compared to a fire breathing dragon! Luckily for everyone, especially the dwarves, Beorn always has a soft spot for his little flower, so he'll be nice.

 **CrystalVixen93** \- Here's the next chapter!

 **thewolf74** \- Believe me, so am I. Here's the next chapter for you!

* * *

 **Home Sweet Home**

For the next few days, Thorin allows us to rest by beside a river we find in a clearing at the base of Carrock. It's a welcome sight for us to bathe and clean off all the dirt, grime and blood.

We all get ours wounds tended to as best as we can with the little provisions we have left. My right hand is diagnosed to be a bad sprain, which Oin wraps tight in a bandage so I don't move it too much.

We all take advantage of the respite, either catching up on lost sleep or relaxing. No matter what we do, Kili tends to not be too far away from me after what happened. Even though it can be an annoyance, especially when trying to bathe, I do find it kind of cute in a way.

* * *

The next morning, as we are getting what we have left packed and ready to move, we hear the howls of wargs in the distance. Thorin sends Bilbo up some rocks so he can see how far away Azog and the pack are. After a while, he returns.

"How close is the pack?" Thorin asks.

"Too close. A couple of leagues, no more, but that is not the worst of it." Bilbo replies.

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" Dwalin pipes up.

"Not yet, but they will; we have another problem."

Gandalf steps forward. "Did they see you? They saw you!"

"No, that's not it."

Gandalf smiles and turns to us.

"What did I tell you? Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material."

The dwarves chuckle loudly in appreciation of Bilbo. Bilbo looks exasperated that no one is hearing him out. I open my mouth to speak up for him, but he already

"Will you just listen?! I'm trying to tell you there is _something else_ out there."

The others all look worried, while I'm trying hard not to smile. It's got to be papa doing his rounds.

"What form did it take? Like a bear?" Gandalf asks, also knowing what I know.

"Ye. . ." Bilbo pauses and looks curiously at Gandalf. "Y- yes. But bigger, much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur asks Gandalf.

Gandalf turns and walks a few steps away. I follow him as the other argue about what to do next.

" _Will he allow us to rest at the house?"_ he asks me in elvish.

" _Well, you know as well as I how he feels about dwarves. . .but, I think as long as I am with you. . .he should be more welcoming to them. . .unless one of them decides to do something stupid."_

He nods in agreement before he turns back to the others. "There is a house, it's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Whose house? Are they friend or foe?" Thorin asks.

"Neither. He will help us, or he will kill us."

The dwarves looks at each other in dismay.

"What choice do we have?"

A roar splits the night behind them; it is the bear.

"None." I reply before we start running.

* * *

By the time the sun rises, we run through plains and across streams, Gandalf and I leading the way.

"Come on!" Gandalf yells out.

As we run through a forest, trying to outrun Azog and his orcs, we suddenly stop when we hear an ear-splitting roar nearby. It does bring me some comfort as I know it's papa's voice and not the wargs. But then, the panic begins to run through me. While papa is in his bear form, unlike myself, he cannot tell who is friend, foe or even kin, so he would even attack me, never mind the dwarves.

"This way, quickly!"

We panic and run along, soon exiting the forest and my heart soars as I see my home coming into view. A house surrounded by a hedge in the middle of a plain.

"To the house! Run!"

We run across the plain; Bombur, the fattest dwarf, outruns all of us in his fear, which causes me to look to him in surprise. Gandalf and I stop at the gate as the others run through.

"Come on, get inside!" Gandalf calls out.

They run to the front door of the house; it is closed. Bombur, who reaches the door first, throws himself against it but falls flat on his back when the door doesn't budge. The rest of the dwarves catch up and begin throwing themselves against the door, trying to open it. Gandalf and I look back as a massive bear breaks out from the edge of the forest and he runs toward the dwarves, pushing me ahead.

"Open the door!"

"The bolt! Slide the bolt!" I yell out, pointing to the lock on the door.

"Quickly!" Thorin yells out as he pushes through and slides the bolt along, opening the doors.

We all pile on inside and the dwarves shut the door, but papas bear head gets in the way. As the bear roars and tries to push the door open, the dwarves yell and strain to close it. Bilbo pulls out his sword and points it unsteadily at the bear. I notice Gandalf looking on in apparent amusement. The dwarves yell as they press against the door.

"Come on, lads!" Dwalin exclaims.

With a final heave, the dwarves manage to close the door and drop the bolt across it. They sigh in shock, fear, and tiredness.

"What _is_ that?" Ori asks.

"That. . .is our host." Gandalf replies.

The dwarves and Bilbo turn to Gandalf in bewilderment.

"His name is Beorn, and he is a skin-changer."

Oin checks his hearing trumpet to make sure he has heard Gandalf correctly. Bilbo looks to me.

"Like you?"

I nod as I lean on a wooden beam. "Beorn is my papa."

The others stare at me, eyes wide with shock.

"Sometimes he's a huge black bear; sometimes he's a great strong man." Gandalf explains. "The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of dwarves."

The dwarves look at each other in dismay. Ori peaks out a crack in the door.

"He's leaving!"

Dori rushes over and pull his youngest brother away from the door.

"Come away from there! It's not natural, none of it. It's obvious: he's under some dark spell."

I growl slightly as Gandalf turns on the superstitious dwarf. "Don't be a fool! I have said before, he and Violet are under no enchantment but their own. Alright now, get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight."

The dwarves start spreading out through the house. Gandalf whispers quietly to himself.

"I hope."

I glance at him as I hear the last two words before going upstairs to get some blankets out of the storage room. Walking back down, I begin handing them out.

"Here, there's not many so you'll have to share."

This doesn't seem to bother then as they take what I give and bundle up together. I smile as I curl up in papas large chair by the fire and fall asleep there, not knowing Kili's watching my every move before he too falls asleep.

* * *

The next morning, I am woken up by the thudding of wood and smile at the comfort it brings. I almost think that what happened was nothing more than a dream, before I open my eyes and hear the dwarves arguing as they stand by the back door.

I look to see them gathered around the door, Bofur stood on a ledge looking out of the window. I also notice Gandalf and Bilbo are missing. I jump down from the chair and walk over, standing in between Thorin and Kili.

"What's happening?"

"Gandalf's taken Bilbo to meet with your father." Thorin starts to explain.

"And then we all go out once he's given the signal." Kili finishes.

"There it is! Go! Go!" Bofur suddenly calls out.

I look up to see Dwalin and Balin walking out. I cross my arms and lean against a pillar, an amused smile on my face.

"Gandalf does know that this could turn wrong very quickly doesn't he?"

"He. . .may have mentioned something like that." Kili says quietly, a hint of fear in his eyes.

"Vi, is it true that your father once ripped someone to shreds?"

I nod. "It is." The others look to me fearfully. "I can't remember much about it as I was younger at the time, but the person startled him and. . .well, you could imagine."

Everyone went deathly quiet, even Bofur who was keeping watch.

"Alright. Who's hungry?"

I walk off, still feeling the eyes of the others on my back. I just smile as I walk into the kitchen and start preparing a breakfast of some eggs, some honey cakes and a plate of freshly baked bread with jars of cream, jam and honey-there's no honey. I look through the all the shelves in the pantry but find no honey. I leave the kitchen to go to the backdoor to find everyone else now outside. I walk out and passed Thorin to stand in front of the dwarves, calling out as I go;

"Papa, we're out of honey!"

I look to him to see a big smile pass over his face as he sees me.

"Violet! There you are, my little flower! You know how to worry me don't you?"

I just grin widely as I go to him. "I'm your daughter, it's my job is it not?"

He chuckles as he sweeps me off my feet, embracing me with one arm. I smile as I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing his furry face as I do so.

"It definitely is with you. Now, why don't you go get breakfast set out and I'll go get some more honey?"

I smile and nod before he puts me down and I lead the others inside.

"Would you like some help, lass?" Bombur asks when he sees all the plates in the kitchen.

"No, I'm fine Bombur. Sit, you're out guests."

I then whistle and sheep and dogs come in. The dogs stand on two legs and each take a tray to the dining table while I lay a tray of tea and mugs on one of the sheep to take in. I giggle at the look of shock and surprise on the others faces.

"You have animals serving you?" Bilbo asks in awe.

"Only when we have a lot of visitors. No point when it is just papa and I."

They nod as the animals set the trays on the tables and I bring in a large bowl of fruit as papa and Gandalf come in, papa with a few jars of honey which he places on the table. He gets me to sit down while he brings out some oats, nuts, cheeses and a large jug of milk. I sit in between Kili and Dwalin and start eating with the others as papa pours milk out for us all as we tell him what happened to us in the mountain.

"So you are the one they call Oakenshield." Beorn says once the story is over. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

"You know of Azog? How?" Thorin asks.

I pause as I was about to pop a strawberry into my mouth as papa and I glance at each other. Neither of us like to think about the past much, we've never even talked to each other about it, wanting to put it behind us. But, no matter what, the past always has a way of finding you whether you like it or not.

"Our people were the first to live in the mountains, before the Orcs came down from the north. The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved."

I notice Bilbo seeing the remnants of manacles on papa's wrist.

"Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?"

Papa pauses for a moment. "Once, there were many."

"And now?"

"Now, there are only two." I say quietly as I look at the table.

I feel the eyes of the others look between papa and I. I stand and excuse myself before I leave the house.

* * *

Kili watches Violet as she quietly leaves, her head lowered and her shoulders slumped. We all knew that her family were killed twenty four years ago, but none of us knew that it was Azog that killed her family. She and the dwarves have more in common with each other than he first realised.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn?" Beorn changes the subject as he sits in his large chair.

"Before Durin's Day falls, yes." Gandalf answers.

"You are running out of time."

"Which is why we must go through Mirkwood."

"A darkness lies upon that forest. Fell things creep beneath those trees. There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and the Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there except in great need."

"We will take the Elven Road. That path is still safe."

"Safe? The Wood-Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous. But it matters not."

Thorin looks to the skin-changer. "What do you mean?"

"These lands are crawling with Orcs. Their numbers are growing, and you are on foot. You will never reach the forest alive."

Thorin looks shocked. Beorn stands up from the table and faces Thorin.

"I don't like dwarves. They're greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own."

Beorn picks up a mouse that had been scampering on the table and holds it, all the while approaching Thorin. who is standing with his arms crossed.

"But Orcs I hate more, and I trust my daughters judgement of you. What do you need?"

Everyone seemed to give a collective sigh of relief at this and Beorn agrees to us staying for a few weeks to rest up and to give us the supplies we'll need. As everyone is talking, Kili stands and leaves to find Violet.

* * *

 **Well, there we go! The next chapter done! Hope you all enjoyed it! Don't forget to leave me your lovely reviews and we'll be back next week!**


	11. Remembering

**Woo! Chapter 11 is up! Firstly, I want to apologise for the confusion on the state of the chapter since taking the schedule chapter out, it will seem a bit muddled up for a while, but hopefully it'll go back to normal.**

 **Secondly, I want to say that because of this mix up, and with fanfiction not letting most people know of updates, if you have not read it yet, the previous chapter is the one where the Company get to Beorn's, so if you have not read it yet, please read that first.**

 **Thirdly, sorry for how short this chapter is, but I felt this was a good place to end this one.**

* * *

 **Remembering**

After leaving the house, I sit by a river, pulling my knees to my chest. I had to get away before I broke down in front of the dwarves, which was something I did not want to do. I do not like the feeling of pity others have for me when hearing my story. It always makes them treat me as if I was made of glass and would break any minute, and I didn't want that. I have always wanted to be brave and put the past behind me, but the past always has a way of coming back to haunt you.

"Violet?" I hear from behind me.

Turning, I see Kili standing there.

"Kili, I didn't hear you coming."

He gives me a small smile as he sits beside me. "That makes a difference. Usually no one can sneak up on you."

I give him a small smile before turning back to the river.

"Are you alright?" he asks after a moment of silence.

I sigh. "I will be. It's jut hard, you know?"

He nods. "I do know."

After I look at him curiously, he begins to explain.

"I never got the chance to meet my father. I was still in my mother's belly when he died. He was a miner, like Bofur. One of the best miners the mountain had. But one day, something happened and there was a collapse in the mine he was working in. He and about half a dozen others perished. I was born a few months after."

I stay quiet for a few moments before taking his hand into my own.

"I'm sorry about your father, Kili."

He smiles as he squeezes my hand. "Thanks. Would. . .Would you tell me about your family? About what happened that day?"

I look to him for a while before I nod. "It was a warm summers day when it happened and I was playing outside with Kara while the others were training. . ."

* * *

" _Tag! You're it!" I yell as I tap my brother before running off with our friends who are playing._

" _I'll get you, Vi!" Kara calls out as he runs after me._

 _I squeal as we run around the square, dodging past the other Skin Changers who live with us, all of them smiling and shaking their heads while avoiding getting hit by two runaway children. Up ahead, I see mama and papa with Etan, Valerio, Quillon and little Peony. I smile as I speed up and climb up papa's tall form, sitting on his shoulders to get away from Kara._

" _Hey! No fair! That's cheating!" Kara yells as he reaches us._

 _The others laugh as papa plucks me off his shoulders, holding me up by the back of my collar._

" _Are you not playing by the rules again, Violet?" he asks._

" _. . .maybe." I reply sheepishly._

 _He just chuckles before he sets me down and holds me so that Kara could tag me. He does so before running off and I give chase as we join our friends._

 _That night, we're all sitting in our house having dinner and talking about what we did that day, when screams ring through the night. Papa and my brothers bolt up and rush out, papa telling mama and I to stay where we are as he runs out._

 _As I go to the window and look out, my eyes go wide as I see orcs and wargs everywhere fighting and killing as they go. My blood runs cold as, one by one, my brothers are killed in front of my eyes._

" _NO!" I scream before I run out._

" _Violet! No!" mama yells out before chasing after me._

 _She pulls on my shirt to get me to stop and pulls me to her with one arm, Peony held in the other as orcs surround us. I bury my head in mamas tummy before hearing growing and snarling, looking around to see papa in his bear form defending us. Thick ropes are soon tossed around and the orcs are trying to subdue papa and to tie him up._

" _Papa!" I yell as I run to try and get him free._

 _An orc suddenly shoves me aside and I feel a searing pain on my face as a blade slices through my skin._

" _VIOLET!" I hear my mama scream and the Peony's cries._

 _Looking over to make sure they're alright, I suddenly realise, even though my right eye is open, I cannot see anything out of it. . .that orc made me blind. I then feel someone grab hold of my shirt and hold me up so I'm hanging off the ground, a blade pressed against my throat. I let out a whimper of fear as a white warg stand besides us and speaks to those of us still left._

' _Stop your struggles, or my master kills the pup.'_

 _Papa instantly stops as he sees me having a blade against my throat and reverts back to his human form. The other Skin Changers also stop struggling and are tied up, those who aren't are those that carry babes, like my mama, but they are promised the death of the babes if they so much as think about running._

 _The one holding me tosses me to some other orcs and the last thing I see as I am tied up is a pale orc, who could be a few heads shorter than papa, and his sneering face before I am knocked unconscious._

* * *

"The next thing I remember is waking up in some sort of cell and chained up to a wall with Peony in my arms."

"Your parents?"

"In other cells around me, along with the others who were captured."

He goes quiet for a moment. "What happened to your mother?"

"She was raped and tortured along with the other women. Mama was the first of us to die from her wounds after a few days, the others followed one by one. Peony died in my arms while we slept. There was nothing I could do. . .I tried to bring her back. . .but I couldn't, it was too late. . ."

I choke back a sob, a few tears manage to escape as Kili wraps his arms around me and pull me into him, so that I am sitting on his lap. I wrap my own around him and lay my head on his chest, happily accepting the comfort from the dwarf.

"How did you escape?"

"A few months after we were captured, it was soon just papa and I that were still alive. I was asleep until I heard a massive clang. . ."

* * *

 _I am jolted from my sleep by a clanging sound, opening my good eye, I see papa rushing into my cell after managing to escape his own. He wrenches my chain from the wall and lifts me up._

" _Come, we're getting out of here." he says as he goes to leave._

" _What about mama and Peony? We can't leave them." I croak out, my voice hoarse from screaming and no water._

" _I'm afraid we must, little flower, there is nothing we can do for them now."_

 _I wrap my arms around him as he runs out of the dungeon we are in and out into the open, killing orcs as he goes while keeping hold of me. As he runs out of the settlement we were held captive, he sets me on my feet._

" _Run, Violet! I'll hold them off!"_

" _No! I'm not leaving you papa!" I shout out while taking his hand._

 _He kneels in front of me and holds me, kissing my head. "You have to, I'm not going to let you die. Now go! I will find you, I promise!"_

 _He pushes me away as he turns to face the oncoming orcs. I look to him for a few moments before I turn and run into the forest, hoping I will be able to see him again._

* * *

"I was found by Radagast the next day who took me in and healed me. Unfortunately, even though he's a wizard, he couldn't give me my eyesight back. But I grew used to it. A few days after, papa did keep his promise and found me with Radagast. He asked the wizard if he could look after me while he found a new home. A few years later, I came here, and we've lived happily here ever since."

Kili grows silent once more as he takes in my story.

"Mahal. . ." he breathes. "No one should go through such horrors, never mind a child. How old were you at the time?"

"Six."

He winces. "Wow. . .when I was six, I was pranking Uncle Thorin with Fili."

I smile as he says this, wanting to know more about the dwarf.

"Tell me about your childhood."

Kili smiles at me, that charming smile that made me swoon inside. "What would you like to know?"

"Anything. Everything."

He laughs. "Well, I don't think we have much time for me to tell you everything, but I'll share you a few things."

He then proceeds to tell her stories of where he grew up, telling her what his mother was like and all the pranks he and Filli used to play on people; especially one they did to Thorin, by dumping cow dung on him one day. Even though I laughed when he explained, and so did they when they did it, it certainly wasn't funny when Thorin got his hands on the two. Their backsides were sore for days after, they were barred from having any fun and were forced to clean the barn and stables for a month.

As Kili continued to share his stories, we got so comfortable neither of us noticed I was still on his lap, or eyes watching them, a grin on the tall figures face as he turned from the two, hoping that maybe his daughter can finally find some happiness in her life.

* * *

 **Oooooh, sparks are maybe starting to fly for our two love birds, and Beorn can certainly see it, so for those of you worried Beorn would tear Kili apart for making moves on his daughter, there's no need to worry. He only does that to those who startle him.**

 **Please keep your lovely reviews coming, I love hearing from all of you xx**


	12. Realizations

**It's that time again! Welcome back to Violet Saturday! I have to say, when I first started writing this, I never thought it would take off as well as it has and I am enjoying writing this as much as you all are with reading it. Here's the next update for all you lovely people! Xx**

 **Review responses;**

 **thewolf74** – Yes, so am I. Kili is just the sweetest. You won't have long to wait for that, I promise.

 **Outofthisworldgal** – It is tragic for anyone, let alone a child, I'm also relieved she wasn't alone through it all. With Beorn. . .he'll still have some words, being the overprotective father he is, but after a lifetime of pain and sorrow, all he wants is his daughter to be finally happy, and if a dwarf makes her happy, then so be it.

 **Wren (Guest)** – Thank you! I am glad you are enjoying this! And with Violet, even though she's part Skin-Changer, she'll take after he mother in height, so imagine her being like a head taller than Kili. She looks like her papa. but has the height of her mama. Her brothers would have taken more to Beorn's height than the girls would have done.

 **Sugarbee25** – So do I, poor girl. I'm sure she would appreciate all the hugs she can get, especially from a certain dwarf. . .and you're welcome! I hope you enjoy this update! I'm sure you will!

 **CrystalVixen93 –** Thank you! Here's the next update so you can finally see what happens!

* * *

 **Realizations**

For the next couple of weeks, we have a peaceful stay at home. To say I was happy to be home would be an understatement, I was ecstatic. I didn't realise how much I missed my papa, the animals and the nature given to us by Yavannah, until I was back. I knew it wouldn't last for long as we were set to move on again once we had rested, so I took the most out of it.

I spent as much time with papa as I could, when he wasn't patrolling our borders as well as spending more time with the company. After hearing about his own home, I showed Bilbo around, knowing he would feel comfortable here in the gardens, which he was, asking me if he could take an acorn that has fallen to plant in his own garden. I gave him two.

When my wrist/paw healed a week later, I also spent hours training with the dwarves, not weapons training as I had none, neither did I feel to have the need for them, but Kili made a suggestion about the two of us somehow working together in fighting, so we started practising, using Fili to be an orc for us. After a few awkward moves, we finally pick up a rhythm of where I could either use myself as a distraction so Kili could take them out, or I would pounce on the orcs, dropping them to the ground where Kili could easily kill them while they were still stunned.

During the nights, Bilbo, the dwarves and I would be sat by the fire, laughing as we told stories or sung songs. On one of these moments, I was sat beside papa, leaning against him as I watched the dwarves singing a song about Erebor, about their lost home;

"Far over the misty mountains cold  
To dungeons deep and caverns old  
We must away ere break of day  
To seek the pale enchanted gold.

The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,  
While hammers fell like ringing bells  
In places deep, where dark things sleep,  
In hollow halls beneath the fells.

For ancient king and elvish lord  
There many a gleaming golden hoard  
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught  
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.

On silver necklaces they strung  
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung  
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire  
They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Far over the misty mountains cold  
To dungeons deep and caverns old  
We must away, ere break of day,  
To claim our long-forgotten gold.

Goblets they carved there for themselves  
And harps of gold; where no man delves  
There lay they long, and many a song  
Was sung unheard by men or elves.

The pines were roaring on the height,  
The winds were moaning in the night.  
The fire was red, it flaming spread;  
The trees like torches blazed with light.

The bells were ringing in the dale  
And men they looked up with faces pale;  
The dragon's ire more fierce than fire  
Laid low their towers and houses frail.

The mountain smoked beneath the moon;  
The dwarves they heard the tramp of doom.  
They fled their hall to dying fall  
Beneath his feet, beneath the moon.

Far over the misty mountains grim  
To dungeons deep and caverns dim  
We must away, ere break of day,  
To win our harps and gold from him.

Far over, the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old!"

While listening to the song, it struck something within me. These dwarves had lost everything in one day, just like papa and I had, both of us lost our homes. I never realised before just how much we did have in common before.

As they sung, my focus was mainly on Kili as I would keep glancing to him. His voice would be the one I could pick out of the group of thirteen dwarves. The amount of sorrow and passion I heard in his words moved me to tears.

During this whole quest, I had never heard anything like this from him. It was always joyful and a bit cheeky, which is what I loved about him. It's at that point, as I watched the young dwarf, I realised. . .that I do love him. . .true, I may have only known him for almost two months, but I have fallen in love with the dwarf.

I know that, from that moment on, I would follow the dwarves wherever they go. Whether they went through Mordor and back to reclaim their home, I would follow and help them in anyway I could. Even though I lost my home twenty four years ago, papa had managed to make us a new home to live right here, and even though Thorin had provided them a home within the Blue Mountains, he was desperate to reclaim his home from the dragon, and for Kili, I would follow him and get their home back.

* * *

It soon became the day before we are due to leave. Even though I am itching to get going, I am a little upset to be leaving. It has been nice being here for a while, and sharing my home with my new friends. I know that Bilbo is also upset at leaving the peace and tranquillity, even a few of the dwarves seem hesitant to leave, especially Ori. For the past few days, I have become close to the sweet and shy dwarf, helping him fill out his book with the names of the flowers we have in our gardens or showing him the animals.

Before we do leave in the morning, there is one thing I need to do. After dinner, I leave the dwarves and walk around back and move aside some branches to reveal a small private space, only known to papa and I.

In the middle, surrounded by flowers, are six stone slabs, all carved with the names of my mama and my fallen siblings. I sit in front of them and sit in silence as I think of them. I have often wondered what life would be like had they not died, had Azog not destroyed our home and killed our family and friends. Would we still be living in the mountains? What would my family be like now?

But then, I also think about on the things I would have missed out on; I may not have met Radagast or Gandalf and due to this, Bilbo and the dwarves. . .I would not have fallen in love with Kili. A smile appears on my face as I once again think of him and wonder what mama would have thought about him. Would she have liked him? Would she have cared he's a dwarf? Probably not. And then there was the brothers. I hoped they would not have scared him away, but with how protective they were of both myself and Peony, they probably would have.

And then there's little Peony. . .barely old enough to speak when she passed. There's not a second that goes by where I don't think of her. I was so looking forward to watching her grow and become the beautiful woman I knew she would become. Out of all of us, she is the one that looked more like mama. Yes I had her hair, but that's it. Everything else about me is all papa, but she had her looks and personality. I truly hope that the six of them are happy where they are and are watching over papa and I.

"There you are." A voice interrupts.

I smile and turn back to see Kili walking up to me.

"You were looking for me?"

He nods. "I wondered where you went. Your father told me where I might find you."

I nod as I turn back to the slabs, feeling Kili sitting beside me. He stays quiet for a moment.

"Are they. . .your family?"

I shake my head. "They're only memorial stones. We couldn't retrieve any of my brothers, or bring mama and Peony when we escaped. So, this was the best thing we could do."

He stays quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry Vi. That's got to be hard, not being able to have your family brought home to be put to rest."

I give him a small smile. "There's no need to be sorry, Kee. They're at peace now, waiting for papa and I in Yavanna's garden."

He smiles as we sit in silence for a few moments. "Vi, would this be a bad time to talk to you about something?"

I look to him, curious as to what he has to say. "No, of course not. Tell me what's on your mind."

He goes quiet for a moment before he speaks. "Well, I know that we have only known each other for a couple of months, but in those couple of months, I've been developing these. . .feelings for you."

I pause for a minute. Feelings? Does he mean what I think and hope he means?

"Feelings?"

He nods. "Yes. At first, I thought they might have just been feelings of fondness I have of you, or in admiration of your strength, having gone through so much and still seem happy about life. But, it wasn't until the Misty Mountain when I realised what they were. I could have lost you three times in those few nights and it terrified me! More so than this quest terrifies me. I could have lost both you and Fee during the Thunder Battle, you could have died during your fall in the Goblin tunnels and then when you faced off against Azog and his wargs. . .I swear I stopped breathing. Also, whenever I look at you, I feel my heart skip and beat wildly in my chest so much so that it hurts. I don't know how Skin-Changers, or even Dunedain's go about this situation, but I know that you are my One."

I look at him in confusion. That's something I haven't heard before. "Your One?"

"My soul mate, my partner for life, that one person Mahal has chosen for me to spend the rest of my life with. And you are her, Violet." he then takes my hand into his own. "I know we haven't known each other for long, but I know deep down you are her. I know how I feel, it is something I have never felt before, but you make me feel so alive. I love you, Violet, and, if you give me the chance, I will spend the rest of our lives making sure that you are kept happy, safe and protected."

I just look at him, while feeling the emotions of happiness, love and giddiness run through me. He loves me! Kili loves me!

I smile. "Even though I can only see half of you?"

He grins his cheeky grin, "It's my better half anyway. Look at the other side and all you get is this." he then quints his eye and makes his face and mouth droop.

I giggle at this. Kili can always find some way to make me laugh and smile.

"And besides," he reaches a hand up and runs his fingers gently down the scar one my face. "I have always found this intriguing, something unique only to you. And anyway, to dwarves, scars are considered as badges of honour. A reminder of making it through any experience we have done. For you, it really does show your strength and determination to live. You could have died through blood loss or infection during that wretched time, but you didn't. And here you are, sitting here as strong and proud as any dwarf I know."

Now this time, my heart skips a beat. No ones ever said anything like that about my scar before. Sure, Radagast, papa and even Elrond have all said things to help me feel more comfortable about it and any other scars I have, but no one has said anything like Kili just did.

"Oh, Kili. . .no one has ever said anything like that to me before. And, I have to say now, before I no longer have the courage to do so, I love you also, I always have. I think, from the first moment I saw you, even though you only knew me as a wolf, when our eyes met, there was this connection that I could not explain. I put it down to you being the first dwarf I saw eye to eye with, but as we got to know more of each other in Rivendell, and seeing the way you interacted with Estel, I knew it wasn't just that. My fondness and my love grew from there."

As I speak, I watch as a wide grin appears on his face, growing more with each word I say, until I swear his face will end up splitting. He pulls me into an embrace once I finish, smiling I wrap my own arms around him.

"Oh, Violet. You have no idea how happy you have made me. To know that you return my feelings. . .it lifts my heart to finally hear it." he pulls away and we look at each other. "I wish to offer you a courtship, but if it's alright with you, I would like to postpone it until we reach Erebor, as well as not telling anyone until that time. I know if uncle found out, I'm sure he would try to stop the courtship, as it would prove as a distraction for the quest."

I nod, understanding everything he's saying. "I understand. And I think, in a way, saving it for Erebor would make it more special. The day you retake your home as well as us beginning our courting, I can't think of a better time."

He smiles. "That's true. And just because we have to wait until then, it doesn't mean I can't do this."

He then leans down and gently presses his lips against mine, causing a happy and content sigh to come from my own as I lean more into him. I can feel my heart fluttering like a mad bird in my chest. My body feels so light and free and everything around us just vanishes, as if it's only Kili and I in the world and we have no fears and no problems. After a moment though, that feeling ends as we pull away from each other, my heart still beating fast as we just smile at each other as he lays his forehead against mine.

"I love you, Violet."

"And I love you, Kili."

We stay cuddling each other in our little space of privacy for another hour or so until the sky turns black in the night before he helps me up and we go to the house, sharing another kiss before walking inside and going to bed. I fall asleep with a wide smile on my face that night, knowing that my future has just changed forever.

* * *

 **Woohoo! They're finally together! Next chapter is Mirkwood! Keep leaving your lovely reviews!**


	13. Leaving Home

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for this being late! Been suffering with bad depression over the weekend and I just didn't have the motivation to get writing. But, it's finally done! Yay!**

 **Also, just a little note, I've decided to scrap the schedule. Schedule's are more for those that have the chapters set out already and can update on a certain date, I can't as I have no others after this done yet lol. I'll be putting them up once they're done like I have done from the beginning, so please continue to be patient!**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- I don't know if I'm going to have Thranduil say anything about this. Probably not.

 **Outofthisworldgal** \- He did, didn't he? :D Kili's so sweet!

 **sugarbee25** \- Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I will do, don't worry!

* * *

 **Leaving Home**

The next day, we all wake up just before dawn and have a quick breakfast before getting ready to leave. As I am helping Papa getting the packs ready, I glance over at Kili every now and then I notice that like me, he has a permanent smile on his face. Whether that is from his normal happy nature or from our admissions last night, I do not know, although I would prefer the latter being the reason.

I smile and look away as he catches me looking to him, seeing a bigger grin appear.

"You love him, don't you?" Papa's voice brings me out of my daze.

I look to him and look away at seeing the smug grin on his face, clearing my throat as I do. "Love who?"

"That young prince, Kili. I've seen the way you both look at each other. I know that look, I've had that look with your mother."

I didn't say anything at first, making it a point not to look at him.

"You don't hate me, do you?"

"Hate you? Whatever for?"

"For loving a dwarf."

I hear him sigh before he uses a finger to gently lift my face to look at him.

"Listen to me, Violet, I could never hate you for anything, especially for something like this. Finding the one you love is supposed to be a special occasion, and I could never ever berate you for that."

I smile at him. "Even if he's a dwarf?"

He chuckles at this. "Even if he's a dwarf. I will admit, I still have a dislike for dwarves, but after meeting your dwarves, I am beginning to think that maybe not all of them are so bad."

"I'm kinda relieved. Gilraen was a little worried."

"Oh?"

"Mhm. I believe her words were, I don't want to be there when he finds out, and I wish you luck at that homecoming."

He laughed. "I suppose I have been a little difficult to deal with around strangers."

I just smile as I finish packing the essentials.

"But, as to you and the young prince, you have my blessing."

I smile as I hug him, he wraps his arms around me and holds me close.

"Thank you, Papa. I love you."

"And I you, little flower." he bends down and kisses my head before pulling away. "Come, let's get you and your friends ready to go."

We walk outside and out into the field to see the others saddling ponies. They thank Papa and I as we hand out the packs to everyone. I walk over and help Bilbo with his pack and pony; who I named Patch, when I hear Papa calling for Kili. Looking up, I see him leading Kili away to talk to him.

"Wonder what that is about." Bilbo says from next to me.

I just shrug, but I wear a secret smile on my face, not knowing Fili noticing my expressions and Papa talking with his brother.

* * *

Kili's heart is pounding inside his chest as Beorn asks to speak to him privately. He already knows what it is about and has been dreading this moment ever since he met the Skin-Changer who could rip him to shreds.

Once they were at a suitable distance to not be overheard, Beorn turned to the anxious dwarf and fixed him with a stern look as he crossed his massive arms across his chest.

"Now. I know about your infatuation with my daughter and as her father, I want to know what your intentions are with her."

"My intentions?"

"Yes. If you think she is to be some bed warmer until you find someone of noble birth then-"

Kili feels his face grow as red as Gloin's hair at the implication. "No! Mahal, no! I would never think of Violet in that way! I love your daughter, I always have. Even when I first met her in her wolf form, there was something there that intrigued me. And then when I first saw her in human form. . .I knew then that she was the one for me, the other half of my soul."

Beorn looks to the young prince for a moment in silence. "And you would still take her as she is? Knowing she isn't of royal or noble blood?"

"Yes. As I said, Violet is the one I was meant to be with. She is my one, I love her and her alone. No other woman, whether she be dwarf, man or elf, could ever replace her in my life. I would rather die than so much as look at any other the way I do Violet."

After a moment, Beorn smiles proudly. "I could not for a better admission of your love for my daughter." he places his huge hand on Kili's shoulder, making his knees buckle slightly. "You have my full blessing for a courtship with her. But I must warn you, if you hurt my daughter in anyway, Thorin will be one heir short. Do you understand?"

Kili gulps slightly, knowing exactly what this man is capable of and nods. "Of course. I would never hurt her."

"Good. Look after her on this quest of yours. She has already been hurt more than enough times in her life. I don't want to see her hurt anymore."

Kili gives a firm nod. "I'll protect her with my dying breath if I have to."

Beorn nods before they return to the others.

* * *

Looking up from my conversation with Bilbo, I see papa and Kili walking back over. Papa walks into the nearby wood with Gandalf and Kili to his brother. Kili glances at me and gives me a smile and a small wink as he passes, from this I smile, knowing that things must have gone well with his talk with Papa.

"Everything alright, Violet?" Bilbo asks me.

I just smile at him. "Everything is fine, Bilbo. Just fine."

He just nods as he climbs onto Patch, with me helping him.

"Gandalf, time's wasting." Thorin calls out to the wizard.

I look up to see Gandalf walking over before he is stopped by Papa talking to him. After a few moments Gandalf joins us.

""Go now, while you have the light." Papa says as he watches us off.

Turning into my wolf form, I growl as I hear a sudden howl of the Wargs.

"Your hunters are not far behind."

I look to Papa as the others begin to ride off and see him also looking to me.

'I love you, Papa.' I growl out to him, knowing he will understand me.

'And I you, little flower. Be careful.' he growls back.

I smile and nod before I run next to Kili and his horse, Peaches.

* * *

We spend the next few days ridding, or running in my case, only stopping during the night to rest, until we finally reach the gloomy woods of Mirkwood. In my wolf form, I can easily smell the disease and darkness running through the trees and it makes me shiver.

Gandalf dismounts and walks into the edge of the forest through an ancient archway.

"The Elven Gate."

Gandalf turns and calls to us.

"Here lies our path through Mirkwood."

"No sign of the Orcs. We have luck on our side." Dwalin calls out as he dismounts.

Gandalf squints as he sees something in the distance; looking around, I smile as I see Papa in his bear form watching us from a distant ridge.

"Not as much luck as you'd think, Dwalin." I say as I turn back to my human form.

He just grunts as he sees Papa.

I turn to the dwarves. "Set the ponies loose. Let them return home."

The dwarves and Bilbo dismount and begin taking their supplies off the ponies. Bilbo approaches the forest on foot.

"This forest feels. . .sick, as if a disease lies upon it."

I walk over to him. "It does. The disease started to infect the trees around Radagast's home before I found you. I have no idea what it is like now."

Bilbo looks to me for a moment. I can sense the sadness coming from him, knowing his love of nature, it must be hard for him to see something like this.

"Is there no way around?" the hobbit asks.

"Not unless we go two hundred miles north, or twice that distance south." Gandalf answers.

I watch him walking into the forest a little before I walk over to Kili who is standing with the others. He smiles as he sees me approaching.

"You alright?"

I smile and nod. "I'm fine."

I help him and the other distribute the packs while Nori begins unsaddling Gandalf's horse, Storm.

"Not my horse! I need it."

As Gandalf strides forward, we look up and murmur in surprise.

"You're not leaving us?" Bilbo asks in confusion.

"I would not do this unless I had to."

Gandalf talks to Bilbo for a moment before walking over and mounts Storm.

Gandalf turns and begins walking toward his horse; he speaks as he passes Thorin.

"I'll be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor. Keep the map and key safe. Do not enter that mountain without me."

Gandalf stops and looks hard at Thorin as he says this, then continues toward his horse. "This is not the Greenwood of old. There is a stream in the woods that carries a dark enchantment. Do not touch the water. Cross only by the stone bridge. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

Bilbo looks to me."Lead us astray? What does that mean?"

I don't say anything, but know what Gandalf means as he gets on his horse. It begins raining lightly, even though the sun is out.

"You must stay on the path; do not leave it. If you do, you will never find it again." Gandalf wheels his horse and rides away. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!"

The rest of us turn towards the forest.

"Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day." Thorin calls out as he leads the way in.

"Durin's Day. Let's go!"

"This is our one chance to find the hidden door."

I take a deep breath before following the others as we walk into Mirkwood.

* * *

 **Okay, now we're entering Mirkwood. Again, sorry for the late update and the new chapter will be up when it's ready. Please leave your lovely reviews and see you soon!**


	14. Forests of Mirkwood

**Oh my god! I am so sorry this is a couple of weeks late! I have no excuses apart from I got hit with writers block, and then depression and I was in tremendous pain and I couldn't focus until I finally got I See the Light updated and came straight to getting this sorted. I am really sorry and hope you're still with me. Thank you for being so patient xx**

 **Review responses;**

 **pallysdeeks** -Yes it can. I'm glad I'm back also and can continue with what I love to do, bring you all joy! Kili would love Violet no matter what, he doesn't care. Just hope Thorin feels the same. . .we shall see. xx

 **sugarbee25** \- I'm glad I had you laughing! And wouldn't you feel intimidated with Beorn? I know I would be, especially after hearing what he can do lol! Kili is just a sweetheart, I love him! xx

 **kissy heart** \- Whey! What are the chances of that happening!? Give Peaches my love! xx

 **MonkeyGirl13** \- I'm glad you are enjoying this story. My apologies for the lateness of this chapter, but I do hope you enjoy xx

* * *

 **Forests of Mirkwood**

Once we enter the forest, I stay at the front of the group with Thorin and turn into my wolf form so that I can sniff out the path and keep us going in the right direction. We spend the full day in this manner, in a straight line with me in the lead and Thorin behind me as he allows me to lead us through. The only times we stop is to rest for a few minutes to eat and drink. Those moments I resume my human form to eat and drink before changing back into my wolf form. Even in those few minutes as a human, the dark magic on the forest sends my head to spin, I cannot imagine how Bilbo and the dwarves are feeling after spending hours walking through it.

During the nights, we make camp in an area beside the path and make a fire, but only to put it out again a few moments later as giant moths appear and start flapping around the flame. We all sit huddled together in the pitch blackness of the forest. Every night I offer to take first watch and I stay awake all night, allowing the dwarves and Bilbo to rest as much as they can.

* * *

A few days later, we finally come across the enchanted river. There is a bridge that leads from our side of the river to the other, however the middle has been broken, no doubt by time.

"We could try and swim it." Bofur suggests as we try to figure a way to get across.

"Didn't you hear what Gandalf said?" Thorin begins. "The dark magic lies upon this forest. The waters of this stream are enchanted."

"Doesn't look very enchanting to me."

"We must find another way across."

As we look around, Bilbo suddenly shouts up after a few moments;

"There is a boat against the far bank! Now why couldn't it have been this side!"

"How far away do you think it is?" Thorin asks as he rushes over to him.

"Not at all far. I shouldn't think above twelve yards."

I stand next to the hobbit and look across, also spotting the boat on the other side

"Twelve yards! I should have thought it was thirty at least, but my eyes don't see as well as they used a hundred years ago. Still twelve yards is as good as a mile. We can't jump it, and we daren't try to wade or swim."

"Can any of you throw a rope?"

"What's the good of that? The boat is sure to be tied up, even if we could hook it, which I doubt."

"I don't believe it is tied," Bilbo answers, "though of course I can't be sure in this light; but it looks to me as if it was just drawn up on the bank, which is low just there where the path goes down into the water."

"Dori is the strongest, but Fili is the youngest and still has the best sight," Thorin turns to his oldest nephew. "Come here Fili, and see if you can see the boat Mr. Baggins is talking about."

Fili walks over and looking in the direction of the boat as the others bring him some rope. They attach large iron hooks to the rope before handing it to the blond. Taking it in his hand, he balances it for a moment before flinging it across the stream. It falls into the water with a splash.

"Not far enough!" Bilbo says as he's peering forward. "A couple of feet and you would have dropped it on to the boat. Try again. I don't suppose the magic is strong enough to hurt you, if you just touch a bit of wet rope."

This time he throws it with greater strength.

"Steady! You have thrown it right into the wood on the other side now. Draw it back gently."

Fili hauls the rope back slowly, and after a while Bilbo says:

"Carefully! It is lying on the boat; let's hope the hook will catch."

It does. The rope went taut, and Fili pulls in vain. I walk over and picking up the rope in my mouth begin to pull with him. Kili, Oin and Gloin come over to help. Together, the five of us tug and tug before we suddenly fall back as the rope goes slack when the boat is pulled away.

Bilbo caught the rope, and with a piece of stick fends off the little black boat as it comes rushing across the stream. "Help!" he shouts, and Balin jumps in just in time to seize the boat before it floated off down the current.

"It was tied after all," Balin says while looking at the snapped rope that's still attached to the boat. He looks to the five of us as we get on our feet. "That was a good pull, my lads and lass; and a good job that our rope was the stronger."

"Who'll cross first?" Bilbo asks.

"I shall," Thorin replies, "and you will come with me, Fili and Balin. That's as many as the boat will hold at a time. After that Kili, Oin, Gloin, Dori; next Ori, Nori, Bifur and Bofur; and lastly Dwalin, Violet and Bombur."

"I'm always last and I don't like it," Bombur complains. "It's somebody else's turn today."

Thorin turns to snap at the dwarf. "You should not be so fat. As you are, you must be with the last and lightest boatload. Don't start grumbling against orders, or something bad will happen to you."

Bombur luckily says nothing more at the reprimand and looks down. While watching him, I do feel sorry for the overweight, sensitive dwarf. Walking over, I nuzzle my head into his side, to give him some comfort. This startles him, but only for a moment as he smiles at me and pats my head.

"There aren't any oars. How are you going to push the boat back to the far bank?" Bilbo asks.

"Give me another length of rope and another hook," Fili says while holding his hand out, and when they have it ready, he casts into the darkness ahead and as high as he could throw it. Since it did not fall down again, we see that it must have got stuck in the branches. "Get in now, and one of you haul on the rope that is stuck in a tree on the other side. One of the others must keep hold of the hook we used at first, and when we are safe on the other side he can hook it on, and you can draw the boat back."

In this way, it is slow, but all of us soon reach the far bank, safely crossing the enchanted stream. Dwalin scrambles out of the boat after me with the coiled rope on his arm with Bombur getting ready to follow, when something bad does happen.

There's a flying sound of hooves on the path ahead. Out of the gloom suddenly comes the shape of a flying deer. It charges into us and bowls us over, then gathers itself for a leap. High it springs and clears the water with a mighty jump. But it does not reach the other side in safety. Thorin is the only one who keeps his feet and his wits.

As soon as he had left the boat, bent his bow and fitted an arrow in case any hidden guardian of the boat appeared. Now he sent a swift and sure shot into the leaping beast. As it reaches the further bank it stumbled. The shadows swallowing it up, but we hear the sound of hooves quickly faltering before going still.

Before the dwarves can shout in praise of the shot, however, a dreadful wail from Bilbo put all thoughts of venison out of their minds.

"Bombur has fallen in! Bombur is drowning!" he cries.

Spinning around, I see that Bombur has indeed fallen into the river. I can still see his hood above the water when we run to the bank. As the others stop at the edge, I don't slow down before I jump and land in the river with a splash.

I hear the others shout my name, Kili more so, as I swim to the dwarf. As I reach him and grab his hood in my teeth, I can already feel the river's magic affecting my mind. Shaking it off, I turn and swim back to the others.

Bofur, Bifur, Dori and Gloin pull the dwarf onto shore while I stumble onto land, shaking off the excess water, being careful not to wet the dwarves. Kili, Fili, Bilbo and Ori are soon by my side.

"Vi, are you alright?" Kili asks as he kneels in front of me, checking me over for injuries.

Before I can give him any form of answer, I feel my eyes roll back into my head as I fall into darkness, my name being the last thing I hear Kili shout.

* * *

"Violet!" Kili shouts out as he catches the wolf as she falls.

He gently lays her down on her side as Oin rushes forward to check her over.

"Not to worry lad, like Bombur, the enchanted river has affected her and has just made her fall asleep." The old dwarf explains.

"Perhaps that is for the best." Balin says as he walks over.

"What do you mean?" Fili asks.

"She has not been sleeping the past few nights, allowing us to rest as much as we can while she continues to keep watch. Maybe this way, she can finally get the sleep she has been denying herself."

The dwarves go quiet at this, none of them not knowing of the selfless act the young Skin-Changer has done for them.

"Oh Violet, you silly wolf." Kili mutters as he runs his hand through her wet fur.

Fili watches his brother as his uncle calls for them to rest while they figure out what to do with Bombur. Had had suspected of something happening between Kili and Violet for a while now, but seeing him with her now just confirms his suspicions.

"Kee, can I talk to you in private?" Fili asks his brother.

Kili looks hesitant to leave Violet's side until Bilbo kneels down and announces he'll watch over her. Kili stands and follows his brother into the trees, with Thorin telling them not to go far. Fili soon stops at a good enough distance to not be overheard by the others, but enough to find their way back.

Kili turns to his older brother. "What's wrong, **nadad**?"

Fili doesn't say anything for a moment as he looks to his **nadadith**. "What's going on with you and Violet?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"You have been getting a lot closer to her this past week or so, and you have more attentive to her also. The looks I have seen you both give each other, it's like. . .it's like how **amad** and **adad** used to look to each other. Tell me Kee, are you in love with Vi?"

Kili looks to Fili for a while. Both he and Violet had said that they wouldn't tell anyone of their relationship so it wouldn't cause any trouble for the quest. But, he's sure telling Fili wouldn't make a difference to it, Violet would understand also.

Kili sighs as he answers. "Yes, Fili. I am."

Fili stays quiet, seeming to be taken aback by the answer. "Have-Have you told her?"

He nods. "I have. She said she's in love with me too. She's my One Fee, I truly believe that."

Fili suddenly has a big smile come across his face as he tackles his younger brother in a hug. "That is amazing, Kili! I am so happy for you!"

Kili smiles as he hugs Fili. "Thanks, Fee. I'm sorry we didn't tell you. We thought it would be best to keep it secret for now, until we got to the mountain at least."

Pulling away, Fili slaps Kili on his back. "Don't worry about it, **nadadith**. I'm not mad. I swear I won't tell anyone, I will keep your promise."

Kili just smiles and nods before they are called back by Thorin. Going back to the others, they see they have created a cot made out of leaves and branches for Bombur and already have him on it. Violet is still laid out where he left her; Bilbo, Ori and Balin sitting beside her. Dwalin walks over to lift her up, before Kili steps forward.

"It's alright Dwalin, I've got her."

Dwalin looks to him in surprise for a moment before he steps back, allowing the young prince to lift up the wolf in his arms. Six of the other lift up Bombur and the dwarves and Bilbo set off again.

* * *

For the next few days, this continues on the same. Bombur being carried by the others and Kili carrying Violet, sometimes allowing Fili to take her to give himself a rest. The more time Violet spends sleeping, the more Kili worries about her. She's not able to eat or drink. Oin keeps reassuring him that she'll be fine and will wake up soon, but Kili's heart keeps sinking every morning he wakes to find her still asleep.

On the fourth night, Thorin stops the group for rest in a small clearing by the path. Kili lays Violet down and sits beside her with his brother, Bilbo and Ori joining them. The dwarves are more disheartened when Bilbo climbs a tree and informs them that the forest just goes on and on for miles.

The only comfort they are given is Bombur suddenly waking up as he sits upright the next morning, making the others jump. Bofur happily hugs his brother, while Bifur pats his brother on the back. Bombur looks around, seemingly lost, and they find out that he can't remember anything since they started their journey in May, from the feast at Bilbo's home. The dwarves have great difficulty in making him believe their tale of all the many adventures they had had since, and even more difficulty reassuring him the sleeping wolf is safe around them and is a friend.

When he finds out there isn't anything to eat, he started to whine about how he wished he hadn't woke up and telling them about a dream of a great feast, saying how he can't describe the things there was to eat and drink.

"You need not try," Thorin says, starting to get frustrated with the fat dwarf. "In fact if you can't talk about something else, you had better be silent. We are quite annoyed enough with you as it is. If you hadn't woken up, we should have left you to your idiotic dreams in the forest; you are no joke to carry even after weeks of short commons."

Bombur soon shut up after that. Kili just looks to the wolf beside him, praying and wishing she'd wake up already. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he looks up to see Balin behind him, a knowing look in his eye.

"Don't worry laddie, she'll be awake soon."

Kili just nods as he slings his pack on his back as they all get ready to set off again. As he bends down to pick up Violet, he suddenly jumps back with a startled cry as her eyes snap open.

* * *

After struggling through the darkness of my mind, I start to hear the loud grumbles of the dwarves and the familiar hand of Kili on my back. I hear him cry out as my eyes snap open, finally able to get away from the nightmares.

"Violet!" Kili's voice reaches my ears.

Looking around, I see the others looking to me in relief and looking past them, I see we are in a dark forest. Sensing the familiar dark magic of Mirkwood, I jump up and back away, my feet staggering slightly as I don't remember coming through here. The last thing I remember is the night before we left Rivendell. Kili and Fili are immediately beside me to keep me steady.

"Calm down, Violet, everything is alright. Can you not remember us coming in here?" Kili asks me.

I shake my head, wondering what happened for me to forget everything between Rivendell and now.

"You jumped in the enchanted river to save Bombur from drowning." Fili explains as he senses my fear. "We think the enchantment made you and he forget while you slept."

I nod, remembering hearing about the river from both wizards, Papa and Elrond.

After a moments rest for Bombur and I to keep standing with falling, Thorin moves us on, not wanting to waste the light. For some reason, as we're walking, I keep very close to Kili, who surprisingly doesn't seem to have a problem as he keeps a hand on my head at all times. I know that we had started some sort of friendship in Rivendell, but what happened between then and now for me to not want to be separated from the dwarf?

* * *

For the rest of the day, we all walk around aimlessly, just trying to find out way out and soon enough lose the path, causing panic to spread over the group as we unsuccessfully try to find it again and continue to walk on blindly. At one point, I notice Bilbo plucking a string of web from a tree, sending vibrations through the webs in the trees. As he goes to do it again, I take his sleeve in my mouth and gently pull him back to stop him. He looks to me and nods before we follow the dwarves.

As we walk, Ori suddenly leans down and picks up a tobacco pouch. "Look."

Dori takes the pouch from him. "A tobacco pouch. There's dwarves in these woods."

Bofur then takes the pouch from Dori. "Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine."

Bilbo rolls his eyes as he steps forward. "Because it _is_ yours. You understand? We're going round in circles. We are lost."

"We're not lost. We keep heading east." Thorin says.

"But which way is east?" Oin asks. "We've lost the sun."

The dwarves suddenly start bickering indistinctly, pushing each other around. Bilbo looks up and sees a bit of sun through the tree canopy far above him. He speaks quietly, and no one else can hear him over the bickering.

"The sun. We have to find the sun. Up there. We need to-"

He stops as he realises the others aren't listening. He sees me walk over to him and points up.

"If we can get up there, we can see where we're going."

Looking back at the others who are still arguing he sighs before he starts to climb. I help him up by pushing my head under his foot to give him a little boost.

As I am watching the hobbit climb, I suddenly look around as I hear a whispering through the trees. I step in front of the dwarves, trying to listen to the whisper over the bickering. I suddenly growl as I hear a familiar clicking.

"Violet? What is it?" Thorin asks as he stands beside me.

I just continue growling as I look through the trees. He stops and listens also.

"What's that?" he asks, also hearing the whispering.

He turns to yell to the others.

"Enough! Quiet! All of you!" They all stop and turn to him. "We're being watched."

I turn my head and let out a yelp as I feel a sharp pain in my hind leg, the last thing I see is multiple eyes and fangs before falling into darkness, Kili's shouts the last thing I hear.

* * *

 ***Shivers* Spiders, hate this scene just for the spiders. Almost feel like Ron in Chamber of Secrets. But, apart from that, hope you all enjoyed this! Please keep your lovely reviews coming!**

 **Translations;**

 **Nadad -** Brother

 **Nadadith –** Little Brother

 **Amad -** Mother

 **Adad -** Father


	15. The Dungeons of Mirkwood

**Hey all! Just a note to say sorry for it being a few days late, and that in this chapter, Violet will remember everything again that to the spider attack. I just couldn't find a place to put in her memory returning. I hope you enjoy this chapter xx**

 **Review responses;**

CrystalVixen93 - I am glad you are enjoying this story. Here's the next chapter for you, which I am quite happy about.

 **Sugarbee25** – I'm glad you are so understanding. I am fine now, just going through some bad times at home atm.

Thank you, I'm glad you like it. Violet will remember everything now thanks to the spider, didn't find a good enough place to put it in, so thought I'd just say it here. As for how she will be treated by the elves. . .you will find out. Tauriel is going to be just a minor in this story. Unless I decide to bring her in later as a friend for Violet. I don't know yet.

 **majesticlunicorn (Guest)** – I watched it, and didn't really understand it to be honest lol!

I'm glad you think so highly of this story, it makes me feel happy that I am doing so well.

I always watch the movies as well as reading the scripts, which really do help, but there are just moments where I don't get in the mood to right when depression hits. Which is a bummer.

You should at some point. I find it very theraputic and it gives me an escape from real life.

Your questions will be answered below;

 **What are you going to do with Tauriel?** \- Not sure yet. Will know more as I go along.

 **Can violet plz change into her human form after she gets stung by the spider?** \- Sorry, she's staying as wolf.

 **What's Thranduil gonna do when he finds a Skin Changer in his backyard?** \- Nothing really as 1) the elves will think of her as a normal wolf and 2) didn't have any plans for it.

 **Can there be more parts where they're just like wow, poor Violet? ( if u know what i mean)** – We'll see lol

 **Can Violet wake up BEFORE the dwarves are captured?** \- They all wake up at roughly the same time and are captured together.

 **Is this comment too long?** \- No, not at all. I like long comments.

 **Can violet get knocked out because she got thrown against a rock wall (in her human form) instead of because she got bitten by a spider?** \- Nope. Gunna be getting jabbed by a spider stinger that knocks her out.

 **Are those spiders red backs? (guess where I live)** – Australia? Lol! I'm not sure what kind of spiders they are. . .don't really care to know to be honest *shivers* can't stand spiders.

 **You don't have to answer this, and im not a stalker, im just a really weird person who likes to know which country people live in dont ask why coz if u do i cant answer u , but what country do you live in?** \- UK

 **Why is your writing so AWESOME?** \- Ha! I have no idea! I never really thought my writing was awesome. Thank you for thinking so.

 **Can u write Lord of the rings fan fictions too?** \- I don't think I need to answer this as you have written a review for I See the Light, which is a Lord of the Rings fanfic.

 **Am i creeping you out?** \- Not at all :D

 **MayorOfSimpleton –** I am happy you love reading this as much as I do writing it. I have to say, apart from Faron (A Light in the Darkness and I See the Light), Violet is my favourite character to write. Can't really say much about Mina (To Love a Son of Durin) as I am only three chapters into that nor Caladwen (True Love Conquers All/A Love Unexpected) As I am rewriting her story.

I have my wife to thank for the grammar situation as she double checks my writing and helps me out, although it is only a few mistakes each chapter, which makes me proud :D Here's the next chapter for you! Hope you enjoy!

Do you mean the line Dwalin says in I See the Light? As that can be the only Harry Potter reference I know, unless I put one in this story that I don't know about?

 **MonkeyGirl13** – Here's the next chapter, please enjoy xx

* * *

 **The Dungeons of Mirkwood**

The first thing that comes to me when I come to is the sound of clicking. A familiar clicking which sends shivers through my body as I remember what happened before I passed out. Opening my eyes, I see nothing but white. I realise then I am trapped in a cocoon of a spiders web, no doubt along with the others.

"Kiilll theemm. Kiill theemm." I hear one of the spiders speak.

"Eat them now."

"Their hide is tough. There is good juice inside."

"Stick it again! Stick it again! Finish it off!"

I suddenly hear one of the others kicking out, causing the spiders to cry out.

"Ahh! The meat's alive and kicking!"

"Kill them, kill them now. Let us feast."

The rest of the spiders take up the chant, "Feast! Feast!"

I then hear the sound of something being thrown in the distance, which causes the spiders to stop and I hear them scuttle away.

"What is it? What is it? Kill it! Feast! Feast!"

One spider stays behind.

"Fat and juicy. Just a little taste."

My eyes go wide as I realise the spider is advancing on Bombur. Before I can try and escape however, I hear the swish of a sword and the spider hissing before crying out in pain.

"Curses! Where is it? Where is it?!"

"Here!" Bilbo's voice speaks up.

My heart soars in relief and joy as I hear the Hobbit, so relieved to know he is alright.

"It stings! Stings!" The spiders cries out before I hear it fall.

"Sting. That's a good name. Sting."

I hear Bilbo moving among the trees and using his newly named sword to cut us down. I feel my stomach churn as I feel myself being lowered. When I hit the ground, I wiggle my legs to try to get free.

"Vi!" I hear Kili's voice before seeing his face as he rips the webbing from me.

I stagger up nuzzle my head into his chest, relief filling my whole being at seeing him alive and well.

He chuckles as he wraps his arms around me.

"I'm glad you're alright too, Vi. Come on, let's all get out of here."

I nod as I stand, nuzzling Fili as he comes over.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur shouts out as he realises the hobbit is missing.

"Bilbo!" The dwarves call out.

"I'm up here!" Bilbo's voice calls from above us.

As the other dwarves free themselves, we all run off to try to escape, only to be surrounded by the returning spiders. We fight against the spiders, the dwarves with their various weapons and me my teeth and claws. Bombur is knocked to the floor by a spider, and it stands over him to bite him.

"Grab a leg!" Dwalin yells out.

Seven others join him and grab each of the spider's legs.

"Pull!"

The dwarves pull at the spider's legs, and they manage to pull its legs right off its body. The dismembered body of the spider lands on Bombur.

"Kili!" I suddenly hear Fili yell out.

Spinning around, I growl as one of the spiders wraps its many legs around Kili. Fili and I run in and attack it, allowing Kili to take the kill.

We finally manage to defeat the spiders, and are running through the forest. More spiders jump down on threads of silk in front of us and hissing away. Thorin raises his sword in preparation to fight, but pauses and looks up. Also looking up, I see a blonde Elf run through the treetops, then swings down a spider's silk in order to land on it and kill it. He slides on the forest floor under the spider facing Thorin, slicing it in half, and comes up kneeling with an arrow nocked in his bow and pointed at Thorin. Several other Mirkwood elves appear, drawing arrows and pointing at us. I growl slightly at the arrow in my face.

"Do not think I won't kill you, dwarf. It would be my pleasure." The blond says to Thorin.

Knowing we are completely surrounded and outnumbered by Mirkwood Elves, all with drawn bows aimed at the dwarves.

"Help!"

My ears prick up and my heart drops at the sound of Kili's panicking voice

"Kili!" Fili cries out.

I growl and tear past the elves, knocking some aside in my haste to reach Kili, as I see a spider pulling him away by the foot. I leap over Kili and on top of the spider, causing it to drop my dwarf and turns it's attention onto getting me off it.

"Vi!" Kili cries out as he steps back.

I lean down and bite down on the spiders head, feeling my teeth sink into it's flesh and killing, only to yelp as another spider turns up, swinging it's leg at me and knocking me aside before pouncing.

"NO! VI!" Kili screams out.

I am on my back, pushing up with my paws to keep the spider from biting me, while keeping the stinger away with my back legs.

"Throw me a dagger! Quick!" I hear Kili shout out to someone I can't see.

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon, dwarf, you're mistaken!"

The next thing I hear is the swish of a blade and grunting as the spider falls on me. A few moments later, there is relief when Kili removes the spider and helps me up.

"Vi, are you alright?"

I nod as I nuzzle him, relieved that he is alright. He holds me close until he is pulled up. Looking behind him, I see a female elf with red hair, wearing a long green tunic, green leggings and brown knee high boots. She carries a quiver on her back along with a few daggers, her bow in her hand.

As she pushes Kili on, I step in between them, growling at her to step back, which she does as she stares at me in surprise. I glare at her before allowing Kili to lead me to the others, a hand on my head. I'm not going to allow anyone to hurt my beloved.

Once we reach the circle of dwarves, Fili hugs Kili close, then hugs me, muttering his thanks for saving his brother. I just lick his face before the leader of the elves orders the others to search the dwarves.

I have to resist growling at the elves as they come close to Kili and I, searching him for weapons. I grin as an elf spends quite a long time searching Fili and pulling knife after knife from him.

"Hey! Give it back! That's private!"

Hearing Gloin shout, I look over to see the leader looking through a silver portrait holder that contains pictures of his wife, Breanna and son Gimli.

"Who is this? Your brother?" The leader asks disdainfully.

"That is my wife!" Gloin replies in outrage.

He then looks at the other picture, which is of Gimli.

"And what is this horrid creature? A goblin mutant?"

"That's my wee lad, Gimli."

The elf raises his eyebrow at Gloin in contempt. I have to glare at him as he is insulting Gloin's family. I know that elves and dwarves have not gotten along with each other in a long time, but there is no reason for him to be so rude and insulting to people who are innocent and are not even here.

I inwardly laugh as the elf searching Fili finds even more knives all around his person, sighing when the elf finds even some in a secret hidden pocket.

" _Gyrth in yngyl bain?"_ The leader suddenly asks the _elleth_.

" _Ennorner gwanod in yngyl na nyryn. Engain nar."_

'That's an understatement.' I think to myself as I think of the spiders that surrounded Radagast's home months ago.

Fili opens his jacket to show the elf searching him that he has no knives left; however, the elf finds another one hidden in Fili's hood. An elf hands the leader, who I now know to be Legolas, son fo Thranduil thanks to the els as he is passed Thorin's sword, Orcrist, and he inspects it.

" _Echannen i vegil hen vin Gondolin. Magannen nan Gelydh."_ Legolas looks to Thorin with pure hatred on his face. "Where did you get this?"

"It was given to me." Thorin simply replies.

Legolas points the sword at Thorin, which causes me to step forward, wanting to attack Legolas, but Kili stops me.

"Not just a thief, but a liar as well. _Enwenno hain!_ "

" _What of the wolf, my lord?"_ one of the elves asks.

Legolas walks over and looks over me, bending down to do so. I bare my teeth and snap at him in warning. He takes a step back, glaring at me before he turns to the elf.

" _Muzzle it."_

I yelp slightly as the elf grabs me by the scruff of the neck and pulls me back, causing Kili to call out to me and being held back by another elf. As the elf keeps hold of me, another ties a rope around my head before tying it around my snout to keep me from biting out.

I could easily get out of this by changing back to my human form, but not wanting to reveal myself, I stay as a wolf, pawing at the rope to try to get it off. The dwarves cry in outrage at how I am treated before they are silenced as Legolas as he gives the order to take us away.

"Thorin, where's Bilbo?" I hear Bofur say to Thorin.

Looking around, I also see our hobbit is missing. I instantly worry about him and hope that, wherever he is, he is safe.

* * *

After we are led inside the kingdom, apart from Thorin, we are all taken down into the dungeon, the dwarves being roughly shoved into separate cells, a couple sharing. The elf who searched Fili finds another large dagger hidden in his coat, causing the blond dwarf to sigh in frustration before being locked up.

The elf who has me leads me over to another cell and as soon as I see it, memories of my imprisonment with Azog instantly comes to mind and I start to panic as I start barking and growling, jumping back and pulling away, doing anything I can to keep from going in there, the elf in charge of me trying to drag me inside.

"Stop it!"

"Leave her alone!"

The other dwarves start shouting at the elf and also trying to give me some comforting words, but none get through as the fear hits full force.

"Wait! She's scared of being locked away and alone! Please, let her come in with me!" I hear Kili call out.

There's a moment's pause as the elf who has me looks to someone behind me, whether it's Kili or not I don't know as my eyes are fixed on nothing but the cell in front of me. Soon enough, the elf walks away from the cell and I am put into the cell with Kili before the door is shut tight, after the rope is taken off.

Kili wraps his arms around me as he holds me close. I hear him thank someone and I turn to the door in time to see the red haired elf nod before she walks away. I nuzzle my head into Kili's chest as I hear the other dwarves banging at the doors as they try to break out.

"Leave it! There's no way out!" I hear Balin shout out before the banging stops. "This is no Orc dungeon; these are the halls of the Woodland Realm. No one leaves here but by the king's consent."

"Are you alright, Violet?" I hear Kili ask.

I nod as I snuggle closer to him, laying on his lap as he sits on the ground and I growl in contentment as he runs his fingers through my fur.

Some time later, the guards bring Thorin down and he is thrown into a cell, the jailer leaving with the keys.

"Did he offer you a deal?" Balin asks.

"He did. I told him he could go, **Ish kakhfê ai'd dur rugnu!** Him and all his kin!"

I don't understand what he's said, but it must be bad after hearing Balin sighing in frustration.

"Well. . .that's it, then. A deal was our only hope."

"Not our only hope."

It's then I remember Bilbo is still out there and hope that he is able to get us out of here. . .somehow.

* * *

I don't know how long it has been since we were captured by the elves; hours? Days? Weeks? But all I keep thinking about it that we need to get out soon somehow if we want to get to the mountain in time.

Once I know that the elves are nowhere in sight, I change back into my human form as I stretch out on the ground, laying my head in Kili's lap, causing him to smile at me as he runs his fingers through my hair. After a few moments, the gentle massage causing me to doze off to sleep.

I wake up to being jostled ever so slightly. Opening my eyes, I see Kili tossing a stone in the air and catching it.

"What is that?" I ask curiously.

"It is a talisman. A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone, they will be forever cursed."

He quickly holds up the stone towards me, I just grin at his teasing. He then speaks again, in a laughing manner.

"Or not, depending on whether you believe that kind of thing. It's just a token."

Kili has a fond smile on his face, which causes me to give him a soft smile.

"A runestone. My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise."

"What promise?"

"That I will come back to her."

I continue to smile at him as he looks to the stone.

"She worries. She thinks I'm reckless."

I let out a bark of laughter, making him look to me.

"I like your mother already. She has some sense when it comes to you."

He lets out a noise of indignation as he pokes me in the stomach, causing me to giggle slightly.

I hold my hand out to the stone. "May I?"

He nods as he places the stone in my palm. Holding it in my fingers, I look it over to see it being a blue stone with a marbling effect with a mixture of dark blue and black colours running through. It has dwarven runes carved into it, which I cannot read.

"What does it say?"

"'Return to me.'"

I just smile as I continue looking over the stone.

"Sounds like quite a party they're having up there."

Looking up to the ceiling, I smile as I hear the excited voices and music of the elves. Running through the dates in my head, I smile more as I remember the celebration.

"It is _Mereth-en-Gilith_ , the Feast of Starlight."

Kili looks to me. "How did you know that?"

"I read about in Rivendell. Wood Elves love best the light of the stars. . .just like my people."

"I always thought it is a cold light, remote and far away."

I look at him as I speak. "It is memory, precious and pure. Like your promise." I smile as I hold up the stone, he smiles back as I lift my head to the ceiling again, lost in memory. "Before Azog attacked our home, I remember one clear and calm nights, when the stars would shine bright, we all would gather in the fields nearby, light a fire and play music, sing songs, dance and just be merry. Those nights used to be the best of my life."

Kili gives me a sad smile as he gently brushes a lone tear that escaped my eye.

"I saw a fire moon once. It rose over the pass near Dunland, huge; red and gold it was, filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin, they were trading in Silverbuck for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then, this huge fire moon, right in our path. I wish I could show you."

I smile up at him. "I wish I could have seen it. It sounds amazing."

Kili smiles as he holds me close. I look back to his stone as I roll it around in my fingers a few times.

"Kili. . .will your mother like me?"

He turns to me and looks me in the eyes as he speaks sincerely. "Of course she will. She will love you as much as we all do. Even more so when she hears of the deeds you have done for us."

"And. . .she will be alright with us being together? Even though I am not royal or of nobility?"

He shakes his head. "No, she won't. She is a princess and she married a miner. She'll care as much as I do, which is not at all."

I smile in relief as I hold the stone out to give back to him. He looks to it for a moment before shaking his head and closes my fingers around it.

"Keep it. As a promise that no matter what, I will always return to you."

I smile in happiness and hold it close as I cuddle into him, allowing him to wrap his arms around me. I sigh as I close my eyes, feeling him place a kiss on my head before I fall into a blissful sleep, dreaming of our future together.

* * *

 **Awwww! I love Vi and Kili together! They're so cute! Stay tuned for the next chapter and keep leaving your lovely reviews!**

 **Translations;**

 _Gyrth in yngyl bain? -_ Are the spiders dead

 _Ennorner gwanod in yngyl na nyryn. Engain nar. -_ Yes, but more will come. They're growing bolder.

 _Echannen i vegil hen vin Gondolin. Magannen nan Gelydh._ \- This is an ancient Elvish blade. Forged by my kin.

 _Elleth_ – Female elf

 **Ish kakhfê ai'd dur rugnu!** \- Rough translation: I spit upon your grave!


	16. The Great Escape

**Hey guys! Sorry for this being late up, was struggling with trying to get it right and for the words to work with each other. I hope you all enjoy this chapter x**

 **Review Responses;**

 **sugarbee25** – I have to agree. Violet and Kili really do make a sweet couple ^_^. That's the reason I asked Tauriel to allow her to stay with Kili. . .along with pushing them together teehee! I do love Tauriel as well, I can understand why a lot of people wouldn't because she's not a canon character, but I still like her, so of course I'm going to have her as a friend for Vi, I mean, she needs some female company to keep her sane from all the testosterone every now and then right? As for the escape, you'll find out in this chapter xx

 **MonkeyGirl13** – I am glad you are enjoying this story. I have to say, Violet is my favourite character I've written up, so I'm glad you like her x

 **MajesticLunicorn** – Lol! I do the same thing! Reading when I should be sleeping, drives my wife crazy! I hope you got some sleep at least. As for Violet, I will be adding some more in about her people, I don't know when but I will be.

* * *

 **The Great Escape**

It has been many days since we were first locked up in the cells, which honestly seem more like many months the days have dragged on so much. None of us are really up to talking to one another, although Fili and Kili are always saying something to each other every now and then.

As for Kili and I, as funny as it sounds, our imprisonment has actually helped us to become closer to one another. We talk to each other about pretty much anything. Our likes and dislikes, our childhoods and our families. I've learnt a lot about his mother, Dis, in these past few days, as she being the main one he couldn't stop talking about. Every time I watched him as he spoke of her, I would always smile as I would see the love and devotion he has for her in his eyes. It makes me excited for the day when I can finally meet her, but also a bit nervous as I hear of her stern side and how she could be as bad as Thorin if the mood takes her. . .I never once thought anyone could be as bad as Thorin.

* * *

On this day, I am sitting against the wall near the door, Kili, after a great coaxing from me, is sleeping with his head in my lap. I am smiling as I run my fingers through his messy hair, thinking of nothing but the future we hope to have together.

That is when I hear light footsteps coming towards us. Glancing up, I see the red haired female elf who helped to save Kili and I from the spiders. She stops by our cell and looks in, pausing as she sees me instead of the wolf.

"Who are you? Where's the wolf?" She asks suspiciously.

I just smile as I tap my head. "She's in here, fast asleep."

She looks to me for a moment before her suspicion clears and she looks at me in wonder. "You're a Shape Shifter, aren't you? I have heard of your kind, but had never seen one with my own eyes."

I give a sad smile. "I am not surprised. There are only two of us left. Myself and my father. So I'm not surprised you haven't seen any of us."

She has a look of grief on her face as she looks to me. "Oh, I am sorry."

I shake my head. "Don't be. We have managed to get by together."

She nods as she goes quiet for a moment. "How did you come to be with thirteen dwarves? I would have thought, being among the last of your kind, you would have kept to yourselves to protect yourselves?"

I just smile, remembering the first time I met Kili and the others. "I met them in the wild, not far from Rivendell. We were attacked by an orc pack and fled to Rivendell for safety. I got to know them better and was asked to join them when they left. One of the best decisions I ever made."

I finish speaking by looking at the dwarf in my lap, watching as he sleeps, a peaceful look upon his face. I sense more then see the _elleth_ watching me.

"You love him, don't you?" she asks me.

I nod, a loving smile adorning my lips. I look to the _elleth_ as she smiles.

"If I may ask, what happened to your eye? I noticed it in your wolf form, admittedly, it was quite terrified, but I was intrigued at the same time."

I chuckle slightly as I run a finger across the milky orb and the deep scars that run down my face. "I seem to have that impact on people. It happened the day our home was attacked by orcs. After seeing my brothers die, I tried to run in to help my father when an orc slashed his blade across my face, blinding me instantly. All of us that were left were imprisoned and tortured, so much so that the others slowly died."

She looks to me in shock and surprise at my story as she slowly sinks onto the steps beside the door.

"No wonder you reacted badly to being locked up in here."

I smile sadly as I gently lay Kili's head on the ground and sit by the door so I can see her better.

I nod. "Yes. I would like to thank you for allowing me to stay here with Kili. I do not think I could have coped being alone."

She smiles back. "You are welcome. I have to go now. Thank you for trusting me enough to share your story with me. Do not worry, I will keep your secret."

I smile at her as she stands. "Thank you. May I know your name?"

"My name is Tauriel. And yours?"

"Violet."

She smiles. "It is nice to meet you, Violet."

I smile back. "And you."

She nods as she leaves.

I just smile as I make my way to Kili, thinking I have made a friend with this _elleth_.

* * *

Waking up not long after Tauriel leaves, Kili sits up with me for the rest of the night.

"I'll wager the sun's on the rise. It must be nearly dawn." I hear Bofur say from across the way.

"We're never going to reach the mountain, are we?" Ori asks, his voice sounding depressed.

I snuggle close to Kili, each of us taking comfort from the other, Kili more so from me.

"Not stuck in here, you're not!"

I whip my head up to the door as I hear Bilbo's voice. Kili and I rush forward as the others exclaim in surprise, after Balin shouts his name, we can see him unlocking Thorin's door.

"Shhh! There are guards nearby!"

Bilbo opens Thorin's cell and then goes around unlocking the others. I smile at the hobbit as he unlocks mine and Kili's cell.

"Well done, Bilbo. I knew you could get us out."

He grins at me as he opens our door. "I'm glad to be of help."

Kili and I smile as we finally leave the cell. Fili rushes over and hugs his brother, pulling me into an embrace as well.

"The stairs. You first. Ori!" Dwalin exclaims from the stairs going up.

"Not that way, down here. Follow me." Bilbo says as he goes down some stairs.

Bilbo proceeds lead the us through the Woodland Realm. We sneak through the halls of the Woodland Realm, and eventually find ourselves in a wine cellar. Hearing some snoring, I look up and see some elves that are sound asleep around a table, with several empty bottles of wine in front of them. Bilbo leads us further in.

"This way."

"I don't believe it; we're in the cellars!" Kili hisses at the hobbit.

The dwarves start getting mad at Bilbo.

Bofur turns to him. "You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in!"

"I know what I'm doing!"

"Shhh!"

"This way."

We sneak into a large room in which several barrels are stacked sideways down the middle of the room. All the barrels have one end open.

"Everyone, climb into the barrels, quickly!"

Dwalin goes up to him. "Are you mad?! They'll find us!"

"No, no, they won't, I promise you. Please, please, you MUST trust me!"

The dwarves mill around, as they try to decide.

"Do as he says!" Thorin orders

The dwarves stop grumbling and begin to climb into the barrels. Kili helps me into one and gets in with me as there's not enough for one each. He grins at me and I blush slightly as he wraps an arm around my waist to hold me to him.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asks as Bilbo walks along, counting to make sure we're all accounted for.

We all stick our heads out and watch Bilbo as he walks toward a lever in the ground.

"Hold your breath."

"Hold my breath? What do you mean?"

In answer, Bilbo pulls the lever, and the part of the floor that the barrels are on tilts downward into an opening; the barrels roll out the opening and fall several feet into a river that runs beneath the Woodland Realm. We all yell out as we fall. I yelp slightly as we land in a river, both of us going under water for a moment before the barrel floats on the surface.

"Are you alright?" Kili asks me.

I nod as I hold onto him to keep my balance so we don't tip over.

A few seconds later, the floor tips again and Bilbo falls back into the river, yelling. He surfaces as Nori grabs hold of him, allowing the hobbit to grab hold onto his barrel.

"Well done, Master Baggins." Thorin says to him.

Bilbo, half drowned, waves his hand in thanks and manages to splutter out a word. "Go."

"Come on, let's go."

We dwarves paddle with our hands as the river pulls their barrels along. We soon emerge into the sunlight.

"Hold on!" I hear Thorin call out.

Looking up, I see us coming up to a waterfall, which we all go over and plunge into the rapids below. Kili keeps a tight hold on me as we float swiftly down the raging river. Hearing a horn from behind, I look ahead to see the gate where armoured guards are standing guard. One of them runs up and pulls a lever, causing a heavy metal sluice gate to block the river. The barrels come to a stop at the gate, unable to go any further.

"No!" Throin shouts in frustration.

The barrels pile into each other; the elven guards draw their swords, but one is suddenly shot in the back with a black arrow. Several growling orcs swarm over the guardpost, killing the elves.

"Watch out! Those are orcs!" Bofur warns everyone.

Hearing the black speech, I look around to see Bolg, the spawn of Azog, who I instantly recognise from my imprisonment. I lean more into Kili as memories of that awful place pop up. Kili holds me close before gently pushing me down into the barrel. I look up at him in confusion.

"Stay in there."

I watch with wide eyes as he suddenly climbs out of the barrel. I can't see anything, but I can still hear the orcs grunts and roars along with the shouts of the dwarves as they fight the orcs off. I suddenly hear Fili shouting Kili's name, his voice full of pure fear and anguish. Quickly standing, my eyes go wide as I see him fall to the ground with a groan of pain, an arrow sticking out of his leg.

"KILI!" I scream out.

I climb out of the barrel and jump onto land, transforming to my wolf form in mid jump and landing on a surprised orc, my claws slashing at it's throat. Once it's dead, I run up the stairs, towards another orc which is advancing on Kili. Leaping over the dwarf, I jump onto the orc just as an arrow shoots it in the neck. Looking around, I smile as I see Tauriel fighting with the orcs, along with Legolas and the other elves that arrive.

Rushing to Kili, I nudge at him with my snout, licking his face a slightly. I see him give a pained smile as he reaches up with his to grab me. I manage to help him onto his feet as he grabs the level and pulls it, opening the sluice gate and letting the dwarves through. Kili suddenly cries out in pain and falls, but I manage to catch him, allowing him to grab hold of me. For the first time, I thank Yavanna that my wolf's body structure is like a wargs as I am able to bear Kili's weight on my back.

Hearing Fili shout for his brother, I lead Kili to the ledge where Fili is holding onto an empty barrel. Before I help him down, Kili grabs hold of me. I look to him and whimper slightly as his sweaty and unusually pale complexion and eye full of pain.

"Vi. . .change back. . .come with us." his voice is also full of pain.

I know however, that as a human, I won't be able to help them as much as I can now. So I shake my head and nudge him in the back, causing him to fall into the barrel, and crying out in pain as the arrow snaps off. I wince slightly at that, wishing that he could have gotten into it without any more pain. I notice Fili looking to me in worry, but I just nod at him to continue on without me before turning and attack the oncoming orcs.

Once the orcs were taking care of by the guardpost, I leap over the wall and tear off after the orcs that are chasing the dwarves. I pounce on every orc I come across, either using my claws to kill them or biting into their necks so they bleed to death.

I suddenly stop as I feel an orc jump onto my back. I start jumping around to try to buck it off, snapping back to try to bite at it. I feel the body suddenly freeze before falling off, an arrow piercing it's head. Looking back, I smile as Tauriel runs up to me.

"Are you alright?" she asks as soon as she reaches me.

I nod before we both run on together. While fighting the orcs, I keep an eye on the dwarves and Bilbo in the river, feeling sorry for the poor hobbit as I see him clinging to the side of a barrel. I watch those that have weapons fighting off the orcs as best as they can, while protecting those that don't have weapons.

I suddenly see Bombur's barrel being flipped out of the river and rolling along both sides of the shore, rolling over orcs on the way, before coming to a stop not far from where I am. I run over as orcs surround him before he kicks off the bottom of the barrel and thrusting his arms out of the sides, both of which are holding blades as he stands and he suddenly starts spinning, slicing any orc that comes close. As the barrel comes apart, he runs to the river, tossing the blades to Dwalin and Nori before gracefully jumping into an empty barrel.

I soon have to leap over to the other side of the river as the path ends, fighting the orcs with Tauriel. Most of the orcs have finally been defeated, but we come across one that aims an arrow at Legolas. I might not like the prince, but I don't want anyone to be killed by those disgusting creatures. Tauriel fires an arrow which intercepts the orcs, who looks to us in surprise. I leap out and tackle the orc to the ground, allowing Tauriel to force it to its knees, but before she can kill it, Legolas turns to her.

" _Tauriel! Dartho! Ú-no hono. Ho hebo cuin."_

Looking to the river, I see the last of the dwarves float around the corner and watch as Bolg and his remaining orcs continue chasing after them. Before I can leap off and give chase, I stop and growl at Legolas as he comes towards me.

" _Legolas, leave her."_ Tauriel says to him. Legolas looks to her. _"We have no need to keep her prisoner without the dwarves."_

He looks back to me and after a moment he sighs and nods before turning and walking away. Tauriel smiles at me and I bow my head to her before turning and leaping away, running after Kili and my friends, killing any orcs on the way.

* * *

 **There we have it! The dwarves and Violet are finally free from Mirkwood thanks to Bilbo! A friendship forming between elf and wolf, that I can see lasting for a long time. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will stay tuned for the next one. Please keep leaving your lovely reviews xx**

 **Translations;**

 _Elleth –_ Female elf

" _Tauriel! Dartho! Ú-no hono. Ho hebo cuin."_ \- Tauriel! Wait! This one we keep alive.


	17. Bard the Bowman

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for the late update, I have no excuse other than losing depression kicking my motivation out of my head, but thankfully, after a little vacation, the motivation has come back to stay. . .I hope. Thank you all for being so patient with me xx**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** – Violet will definitely find her way back to the dwarves, as for whether she'll be staying in Lake Town. . .you will find out in a couple of chaters.

 **SilverLark25** – Tauriel with come to Kili's aid in the end, so not to worry about that and nothing will come between the two, not even Thorin. Violet will find her dwarves again and luckily, nothing happens to her, so thank Mahal for that.

 **MonkeyGirl13** – Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying this!

 **Guest** – I'm glad you're so excited! And don't worry, you didn't spell excited or heirs wrong, got them both spot on! I'm going to have it in this, that even though Violet is one of Isildur's heirs and is older than Aragorn, that the ruling will go through the males in the family, so it would be Aragorn who will still rule when he's older, giving Violet the freedom to stay with Kili.

For the moment, I'm not too sure if I am going to have Violet join the Fellowship as I haven't got that far yet. But I will be giving it some thought.

Yes, Violet does know about Estel/Aragorn being her cousin and that both of them are heirs of Isildur, but she's always known that the throne would go to Aragorn when he is ready.

Violet will be thiry years old, thanks to her royal Dunedain blood, she will live to be up to three hundred years old, so her and Kili can live a nice long life together. Violet looked more like her mother before she died, as well as her baby sister. She has brown hair and brown eyes with tanned skin. I hope that conjures a good picture in your mind of how she looks.

As for Thorin, Fili and Kili. . .we'll have to see about that later. Hehe, I love being evil!

 **Misslesmis13** – Thank you! I'm glad you think so!

 **UniKatFox –** I love the title as well! I do love Tauriel, so I couldn't not put her in as a possible friend for Violet. Thank you!

* * *

 **Bard the Bowman**

The river has finally calmed down, and the dwarves paddle along in their barrels with their hands.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin asks the others behind him.

"Not that I can see." Balin replies.

Popping up out of his barrel, Bofur spits out some water as he looks around. "I think we've outrun the orcs."

"Not for long; we've lost the current." Thorin points out.

"Bombur is half drown." Dwalin informs Thorin.

"Make for the shore! Come on, let's go!"

The dwarves and Bilbo paddle to the riverbank; they climb out onto a slab of rock jutting out a bit into the river. The dwarves help each other out of the barrels. When Kili is on the rocks, he falls to his knees in pain from the arrow wound in his thigh; it has been bound with cloth, but blood is seeping through. Bofur looks to him in concern.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." Kili says stubbornly, when he notices Bofur watching him.

Fili rushes over to his brother to look over his wound.

"On your feet." Thorin orders.

"Kili's wounded. His leg needs binding." Fili informs his Uncle.

"There's an orc pack on our tail; we keep moving."

"To where?" Balin asks.

"To the mountain; we're so close." Bilbo says as he walks past the old dwarf.

"A lake lies between us and that mountain. We have no way to cross it."

"So then we go around."

"The orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight. We have no weapons to defend ourselves." Dwalin indicates.

Thorin looks to his youngest nephew, his eyes drifting down to the wound on his leg. "Bind his leg, quickly. You have two minutes."

"Where's Violet?" Nori asks after looking around at everyone.

The dwarves look up instantly, especially Kili, they all notice the same that their Skin Changer is missing.

"Do you think she's been captured?" Ori asks worryingly.

Fili shakes his head as he continues binding Kili's wound. "I don't think so. She wouldn't give them a chance knowing we're out here. She'll be here soon, I know it."

As he says this, he keeps watching Kili, reassuring him more than the others. Kili says nothing as he just watches the woods they came from, hoping for any sign of his one.

Ori then kneels by the river to empty his boot of water. Unbeknownst to all of them, a man, sneaks up over the pile of rocks and aims an arrow at Ori. As the dwarves realize a man is there, they jump up, and Dwalin, holding a branch, leaps in front of Ori. He raises the branch and begins to charge the man, but the man shoots his arrow and it embeds itself right in the middle of the branch, between Dwalin's hands. Kili raises a rock to throw, but the man shoots the rock out of his hand too.

"Do it again, and you're dead."

Everyone suddenly freezes as a growl sounds from behind the dwarves. Before they can have a chance to look around, a grey blur leaps over the dwarves, landing in between them and the man, who instantly aims his arrow on the wolf, ready to fire.

"Violet!"

* * *

After a while of leading Bolg and his orcs away from the river, I manage to lose them and find my way back, hoping that I have given the dwarves, Bilbo and I some time and distance between us and them.

I take a quick drink from the river, lapping at the cool water before walking on, lifting my nose into the air hoping to get a scent of my friends. After sometime, I hear voices coming from ahead and smile as I recognise them as my friends. Darting through the trees, I arrive at the rocks where they are resting in time to see a man aiming his arrow at the others after shooting a rock from Kili's hand. I instantly feel my blood boiling at the thought of anyone shooting at Kili.

"Do it again, and you're dead." the man says.

I let out a growl before leaping over the others and landing in front of them, snarling at the man in front of me. The man aims his arrow at me, but it doesn't faze me.

"Violet!" The others cry out.

The man falters slightly as he realises I'm with the dwarves, but his arrow is still pointing at me, ready and waiting.

"Excuse me, but, uh, you're from Laketown, if I'm not mistaken?" I hear Balin ask as he slowly moves closer.

The man now aims the arrow at the dwarf, causing me to jump in the way and growl back at him. Balin lays his hand on me as he steps beside me.

"That barge over there, it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?"

The man lowers his bow as he looks to the dwarf, before he walks off to the barge, strapping his bow on his back and putting the arrow away as he begins loading the barrels on the barge.

We all gather around as Balin talks with him. I sit next to Kili, allowing him to rest some of his weight on me if he needs to, all the while keeping a close eye on the human.

"What makes you think I will help you?" The man asks Balin.

"Those boots have seen better days. As has that coat. No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed. How many bairns?"

"A boy and two girls."

"And your wife, I'd imagine she's a beauty."

The man stops. "Aye. She was."

Balin's smile fades. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He is interrupted by Dwalin whispering loudly to Thorin. "Oh, come on, come on, enough with the niceties."

The man turns to Dwalin. "What's your hurry?"

"What's it to you?"

"I would like to know who you are and what you are doing in these lands."

"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills." Balin answers.

"Simple merchants, you say? And the wolf?"

"She's our friend and protector." Balin explains.

Before anything more can be said, Thorin speaks up. "We'll need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?"

The man looks at the barrels and examines the various dents and nicks they received during the fight with the orcs.

"I know where these barrels came from."

"What of it?"

"I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well." He boards his barge and unties the rope tying the front end to the post on shore. "No one enters Laketown but by leave of the Master. All his wealth comes from trade with the Woodland Realm. He will see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil."

The man tosses a rope to Balin. Thorin mouths to Balin.

"Offer him more."

"I'll wager there are ways to enter that town unseen."

"Aye. But for that, you will need a smuggler."

"For which we will pay double."

Bard looks at him suspiciously for a moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll take you. But, I'm not taking the wolf. She'll be dead the moment she's found."

Bilbo and the dwarves all look to me at this. The man is right. With me looking like some wild animal, I would be shot dead the moment I am seen and not given the chance to prove I am not wild. Glancing over at Thorin, I see him nod slightly before I change back to my human form, thankful I keep my clothes unlike my father.

I look to the man as I hear him gasp and step back in surprise and see him looking at me with wide eyes.

"What are you?"

I just smile at the man. "I am a Skin-Changer."

"A Skin-Changer? I thought you were just myths?"

I shake my head as the dwarves and Bilbo get on the barge. "I assure you, we are not. It only seems that way as there are only two of us in existence."

A sad and solemn expression appears on his face as I climb on. "I am sorry."

I just give a small smile. "Thank you. But it is not necessary."

He nods as he pushes off from shore once we are all settled and ride along the lake. I walk over to the front where Kili is sitting and sit next to him, looking at his pale face.

"Are you alright?" I ask him.

He smiles, although I can see the pain behind it. "I am fine, don't worry about me."

I lay a hand on his arm. "Kili, I'll always worry about you. It's my job now, don't forget."

He gives a small chuckle as he squeezes my hand before we fall into a comfortable silence, with me keeping a close watch on him.

* * *

Later that night, we're still on the barge with Bard paddling us across the lake. The weather has turned very foggy as the barge pushes aside ice floes.

"Watch out!" Bofur suddenly shouts as large stone formations appear out of the fog.

Bard expertly poles the barge between the rock formations, which turn out to be ancient ruins.

"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin asks, frustration and annoyance clear in his voice.

"I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." Bard informs him.

Dwalin starts grumbling. "Oh I have enough of this lippy lakeman. I say we throw him over the side and be done with him."

"Ohh, Bard, his name's Bard." Bilbo answer him slightly angrily.

Bofur turns to the hobbit. "How do you know?"

"Uh, I asked him."

Dwalin scoffs. "I don't care what he calls himself, I don't like him."

Balin, who is sitting by a crate with some coins in front of him speaks up. "We do not have to like him, we simply have to pay him. Come on now, lads, turn out your pockets."

The dwarves begin pulling out their money and valuables. Dwalin whispers to Thorin, but with my heightened hearing I can hear him.

"How do we know he won't betray us?"

"We don't."

"There's, um, just a problem: we're ten coins short." Balin states after counting the money,

Thorin doesn't look amused. "Gloin. Come on. Give us what you have."

"Don't look to me. I have been bled dry by this venture! And what have I seen for my investment? Naught but misery and grief and-"

Half way through talking, I notice the other dwarves looking behind Kili and I. Looking around, I gape in surprise as I see the Lonely Mountain through the mist. All the dwarves stand and stare at the mountain, at their home. I smile at Kili as I take his hand, causing him to smile back and give my hand a squeeze.

"Bless my beard. Take it. Take all of it." I hear Gloin say in the background, as he passes a pouch of gold to Balin. Bilbo clears his throat and gestures his head toward Bard, who is approaching us.

"The money, quick, give it to me."

"We'll pay you when we get our provisions, but not before." Thorin says to him.

"If you value your freedom, you'll do as I say. There are guards ahead."

We turn to look ahead and see the rooftops of Laketown in the distance, as well as hearing the voices of men in the distance.

* * *

 **Well, there's that chapter done. Violet has made her way back to her dwarves, met Bard and almost torn him apart for threatening her friends. . .not a great first meeting. . .oh well. Please stay tuned for the next chapter xx**


	18. Laketown

**Hey guys! Chapter 18 up! Yay! We're getting closer and closer to Erebor now! Can't wait for it!**

 **Review response;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** – Of course Violet is going to meet Bard's children. How could I have her go to Laketown and not have her at least see his children lol! As for how they slip past the guards, you'll have to read on.

 **Guest** – For your review on the previous chapter concerning Violet's appearance, I made a mistake in saying she looked like her mother when, reading back, realise that I indeed put her looking like her father, except with her having her mother's black hair. So I will correct it now. She, she does not have a beard or fuzz on her face like Beorn, she has smooth skin. She has her father's grey eyes as well as his facial features. She also has her mother's short stature, which puts her at Kili's height, maybe a few inches taller. I hope this clears up any confusion I may have caused.

* * *

 **Laketown**

While Bilbo and the dwarves were hiding inside the barrels, Bard had me crouch on the ground and covered me with a blanket he has on the barge. Soon enough, the barge stops and I hear the man's footfalls leave the barge and thudding on the wood of shore. Peeking out from beneath the blanket, I see him walking over to someone.

"Shh, what's he doing?" I hear Dwalin ask.

"He's talking to someone." I reply as I'm watching him.

After a few moments, I see Bard point back at the barrels while talking to the man.

"He's. . .pointing right at us!" Biblo hisses.

Bard then shakes the man's hand.

"Now they're shaking hands!"

"What?" Thorin growls.

"That villain! He's selling us out." Dwalin accuses.

I just smile all through this. From where I am, I can see the crane's lifting a net of dead fish over the barrels and suddenly empty right on top of Bilbo and the dwarves. I have to bite my tongue as I hear the groans and grumbles of the males. I duck back under the blanket as Bard comes back aboard once the fish have been emptied and he sails on once more.

* * *

As we ware getting closer to Laketown, I hear the dwarves continue to grumble before hearing a thud of Bard's boot hitting one of the barrels, so I know he's kicked one of them.

"Quiet! We're approaching the toll gate."

There's silence for a while as the barge begins to slow down.

"Halt! Goods inspection. Papers, please. Oh, it's you, Bard." I hear a kind, male voice speak up.

Bard's walks past me to the edge of the barge, assuming towards the man who just spoke. "Morning, Percy."

"Anything to declare?"

"Nothing, but that I am cold and tired, and ready for home."

"You and me both." There's silence again and then a thud, which I am assuming is a stamp for the papers, before the man speaks again. "Here we are. All in order."

Just as I think we are in the clear, a new voice speaks up, a nasally and whiny voice.

"Not so fast."

Peeking out of the blanket, I see a short man who has shoulder length, greasy, black hair, yellowing teeth and is wearing black robes and a hat. Behind him are a few guards.

I see he has some papers in his hands, which I am guessing he had taken from the other man, who I see now is taller than the new man, but shorter than Bard with thinning and grey hair.

"'Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm.' Only, they're not empty, are they, Bard?"

He tosses Bard's papers to the wind and approaches him, with some of Laketown's soldiers behind him. I carefully shuffle back inside the blanket as he steps closer to where I am hiding.

"If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."

As he says this, he picks up one of the fish from a barrel and holds it up to Bard. I hold my breath, praying that the dwarves and Bilbo don't get found.

"That's none of your business." Bard answers.

"Wrong. It's the Master's business, which makes it my business."

"Oh come on, Alfrid, have a heart. People need to eat!"

"These fish are illegal." Alfrid throws the fish he was holding into the water, then commands the soldiers. "Empty the barrels over the side."

"You heard him. Into the canal. Come on, get a move on."

My eyes go wide as the soldiers, lead by their captain, move to comply, beginning to tip the barrels. I almost jump up to stop them until Bard steps in.

"Folk in this town are struggling. Times are hard. Food is scarce."

"That's not my problem." Alfrid replies.

"And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back in the lake, when the rioting starts, will it be your problem then?"

I watch as Bard and Alfrid stare at each other intensely for a few seconds, and I can tell that Alfrid is thinking hard about this, then finally Alfrid raises his hand to the soldiers.

"Stop."

The soldiers stop tipping the barrels over and return to the buildings. I breath a sigh of relief.

"Ever the people's champion, eh, Bard? Protector of the common folk? You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last."

Alfrid walks away.

"Raise the gate!" the other man, Percy, calls out as Bard stands back where he was before.

I duck back under as the gate blocking our way is raised.

"The Master has his eye on you; you'd do well to remember. We know where you live." I hear Alfrid call out.

"It's a small town, Alfrid; everyone knows where everyone lives." This remark almost has me laughing.

* * *

When the barge stops, Bard pulls off the blanket covering me.

"Are you alright?" he asks.

I smile and nod. "Never better. Had a good time watching the others being dumped by fish."

"Don't say one word, Violet!" I hear Fili say to me as he and the others get out of their barrels.

I just grin as I watch everyone grumbling away, obviously not very happy with being dumped by dead fish. Poor Bifur looks mortified, a fish stuck on the axe in his head. I just giggle as I pull it off, causing him to grin and nod his thanks to me.

"You didn't see them, they were never here. The fish you can have for nothing." Bard says to the dock keeper. He then turns to us once everyone is free and waiting. "Stay close."

He walks on with us following behind.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asks.

"This, Master Baggins, is the world of Men." Thorin replies.

"Keep your heads down and keep moving. Quickly now." Bard says as he stops and urges us on.

"Halt! Oi!" a voice suddenly shouts.

We all look up to see guards heading their way.

"Come on, move!" Throin says to us.

We take off running, but are soon cornered by another guard. The dwarves begin to attack the guards, and quickly knock them out with pots, pans, and mops. Some of the townsfolk help us to hide the unconscious guards just as another, the captain from earlier, appears. He has a look around but doesn't see anything amiss.

"What's going on here?" The guard asks. "Stay where you are. Nobody leaves."

I'm kneeling behind a stall, Kili half covering me, half sprung ready to jump, a heavy pot in one hand, his other protecting me.

"Braga. Hello." I hear Bard speak to the guard.

"You. What are you up to Bard?"

"Me? Nothing, I'm looking for nothing."

I hear one of the guards stir, which causes the woman of the flower stand to purposely knock over a plant-pot, which lands on his head, knocking him back out again. Braga hears the noise and goes to investigate, but sees nothing.

"Hey Braga, your wife would look lovely in this."

Peeking around, I see Bard holding up a revealing piece of clothing, which looks to be some underclothing.

"What do you know of my wife?"

"I know her as well as any man in this town."

I have to bite my lip and hide my face in Kili's shoulder to keep from laughing aloud as Braga growls at Bard and storms off, the other guards following. Bard sighs before he walks away, us following him through the streets.

As we turn a corner and a young boy, looking to be fifteen maybe sixteen years of age runs over.

"Da! Our house, it's being watched."

Bard looks around for a moment, thinking of some way to sneak us to his house.

"I have a plan. . .but I do not think you will like it."

"Is it any better than your fish plan?" Thorin grumbles.

Bard tilts his head slightly as he looks to the Dwarf King. "That all depends."

"On what?"

"On how well your swimming is."

This causes the others to look at each other in apprehension, before Thorin sighs and nods.

"We have no other choice."

Bard nods as he tells us the plan.

* * *

After swimming through the freezing lake, under the wooden bridges so we're not caught, we arrive at Bard's house and wait for Bain's signal. I just roll my eyes as I listen to the complaints of the dwarves of having to climb out of a toilet. I'm almost tempted to blurt out a comment until Bain's knock sounds on the walls above. Dwalin makes his way up first.

"If you speak of this to anyone, I'll rip your arms off." I hear Dwalin growl to the boy.

Next, Bofur lifts up Bilbo, allowing him to get a grip on the toilet and pull up, Bain helping him out. Thorin gently pushes me forward to go next and Bofur lifts me up, letting me pull myself up and climb out without Bain's help. I smile and thank him anyway before he points up the stairs.

I walk up and see we are in a small house, kitchen, dining and living area in one. A set of stairs going up to what I assume are bedrooms, and a small bedroom set aside.

"Da, why are there dwarves coming out of our toilet?" A teenage girl asks.

"Will they bring us luck?" A little girl then asks, her eyes shining with so much excitement, it's hard for me to not smile.

"Sigrid, could you take Violet to your room and find her a dress to change into?" Bard asks his daughter.

She nods and leads me up the stairs and into her room which has two beds, a wardrobe and a small dressing table. She hands me a towel which I use to dry my hair.

"Here, this might fit you well enough." Sigrid says with a smile as she hands me a plain, simple blue dress.

I smile back as I take it from her. "Thank you, Sigrid."

She nods as she leaves me to change. I strip out of my sodden breeches and shirt and into the dress, which apart from the slight tightness on the chest area, is a perfect fit.

Once I am ready, I leave the bedroom and back downstairs as the dwarves are drying off. I thank Sigrid as she hands me a mug of tea before sitting on a sofa by the window, Thorin stood beside me while looking up. Looking up at him, I see him pale slightly. Before I can ask what is wrong, he mutters to himself.

"A Dwarfish Windlance. . ."

I stand and look out of the window to see, atop a tower, a crossbow type weapon with four arms. I immediately recognise it as the Windlance mama use to tell me, the stories she heard from her own grandmother.

Bilbo, who is sipping a hot drink from a mug, looks at the wind-lance too. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Balin joins us. "He has. The last time we saw such a weapon, a city was on fire. It was the day the dragon came." I look from him to Thorin to see him look away sadly, I don't say anything as I know he is thinking back to that terrifying day. I look back to Balin as he continues his story. "The day that Smaug destroyed Dale. Girion, the Lord of the city, rallied his bowman to fire upon the beast. But a dragon's hide is tough, tougher than the strongest armor. Only a black arrow, fired from a wind-lance, could have pierced the dragon's hide, and few of those arrows were ever made. His store was running low when Girion made his last stand."

"Had the aim of Men been true that day, much would have been different." Thorin says, pain filling his voice.

"You speak as if you were there." Bard says as he approaches.

"All dwarves know the tale."

Bain stands beside his father. "Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."

Dwalin chuckles from behind them. "That's a fairy story, lad. Nothing more."

Thorin strides up to Bard. "You took our money. Where are the weapons?"

"Wait here."

Bard goes down the stairs to the lower part of the house. Thorin, Balin, Fili, and Kili talk quietly together.

"Tomorrow begins the last days of autumn." Thorin informs them.

Balin nods "Durin's Day falls morn after next. We must reach the mountain before then."

"And if we do not?" Kili asks as he looks to the other three. "If we fail to find the hidden door before that time?"

"Then this quest has been for nothing." Fili answers.

A small smile appears as I hear this. I would not say that this quest has been for nothing. I would not have met such amazing friends, neither would I have met the love of my life, the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. Glancing at Kili, I see him looking to me, a small smile gracing his own face, I smile back, knowing that he is thinking the same as I.

Bard returns and lays a package on the table as the dwarves stand around it. Even though I don't use weapons, I stand next to Kili curious at the weapons. Bard loosens the wrappings and reveals a couple of hand-made weapons. The dwarves look at them in shock, then pick up the weapons and look at them in disgust.

"What is this?" Thorin asks.

"Pike-hook. Made from an old harpoon."

"And this?" Kili asks while holding some sort of hammer.

"A crowbill, we call it, fashioned from a smithy's hammer. It's heavy in hand, I grant, but in defense of your life, these will serve you better than none."

I notice Thorin and Dwalin look disgustedly at each other.

"We paid you for weapons. Iron-forged swords and axes!" Gloin exclaims.

"It's a joke!" Bofur cries out before he throws his weapon back on the table, and the other dwarves follow suit.

"You won't find better outside the city armory. All iron-forged weapons are held there under lock and key."

Thorin and Dwalin look at each other out of the corners of their eyes, I can tell they're hatching a plan with that one look.

Balin turns to the Dwarf King. "Thorin. Why not take what's been offered and go? I've made do with less; so have you. I say we leave now."

"You're not going anywhere."

Dwalin turns to the man. "What did you say!?"

"There's spies watching this house and probably every dock and wharf in the town. You must wait till nightfall."

Hearing this, we all begin to settle down. Kili, leaning on a pole, looks like he's in pain and he slowly slides down the pole and sits on a couch. Wincing, he examines the bandage on his leg while making sure no one is looking. He seems to not notice me watching him from the other side of the room. I know there's something seriously wrong with his leg. Even with it not being looked at as properly as I would have liked it to have been, it still should not be causing so much of a problem. His face grows paler every second, which has me worrying about him, but I cannot show or try to help thanks to his Dwarven pride. I make a mental note to keep a very close eye on him for the remainder of the journey and no matter what he says or does, step in if it gets any worse.

* * *

 **Oh no, Vi's concerned for Kili, and as we know, she has every right to be. Damn dwarves and their stubborn pride. Let's hope things go alright for them. . .okay. That's this chapter done, I will be working on the next one soon. Please keep leaving your lovely reviews and see you next time. xx**


	19. Preparations for departure

**Hey guys! Quicker update for you all! Hope you enjoy this chapter! And please don't be mad at the end.**

 **Review responses;**

 **Guest** – You're welcome, I'm glad to have been of some help xx

 **CrystalVixen93** – I'm glad you love it so! Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy xx

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** – Yup, it is nice. As for Violet, obviously she'll be going to the armoury since Kili will as well, as for after. . .you'll see.

* * *

 **Preparations for Departure**

Just before the sun sets that night, after Bard disappears for whatever reason, Thorin decides it's time for us to leave, break into the armoury and gather what weapons we can before making a break for the mountain.

Once we manage to leave the house, even with Bain trying to stop us, we make our way along the paths, keeping to the shadows so we are not seen. We finally find the armoury hid behind an upside down boat while half of the dwarves make a stairway with their bodies to an open window on a higher level.

"Shh! Keep it down!" Dwalin hisses to some others who start talking.

"As soon as we have the weapons, we make straight for the mountain." Thorin informs us before looking around and nudging Nori on. "Go, go, go!"

Nori runs along the path and climbs over the dwarf staircase and climbs into the window.

"Next."

Bilbo runs along and does the same thing. Bofur, Kili and I are the next ones through with Thorin being the last, the rest of the dwarves waiting outside. As Bilbo and the dwarves are upstairs gathering weapons, I wait downstairs by the door, keeping a look out for any guards and keeping watch of the other dwarves. I whip around at the sound of Kili's cry and the clanging noise of weapons.

"Kili!" I run over to him as he's laid out on the stairs.

I look up at the sound of the guards coming closer.

"Run!" I hear Dori yell out from outside.

Moments later, the doors burst open and I am grabbed and pulled away from Kili a knife pressed to my throat as a sword is at Kili's stopping him as he was about to come to me.

* * *

We are pushed and pulled as the guards leads us along the streets, people gathering to find out what is going on.

"Get off of me!" I hear Dwalin growl at the guard holding him.

We are lead to some sort of square outside of a large house. I stand close to Fili and Kili, shoving off the hands of the guards as I do so. The doors to the house opens and a large man walks out, putting on his coat. Alfrid walking out behind him.

"What is the meaning of this?" the man, who I am now assuming is the Master, grumbles in agitation at being disturbed.

"We caught 'em stealing weapons, sire." Braga informs him.

"Ah. Enemies of the state, then."

"This is a bunch of mercenaries if ever there was, sire." Alfrid sneers, causing me to glare at the man.

Dwalin steps forward. "Hold your tongue. You do not know to whom you speak. This is no common criminal; this is Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror!"

Dwalin gestures at Thorin, who also steps forward, placing a hand on his friends shoulder as he stand in the middle. The crowd murmurs in amazement.

"We are the dwarves of Erebor."

The crowd whispers in shock and recognition, and people crane their heads to see better.

"We have come to reclaim our homeland. I remember this town and the great days of old. Fleets of boats lay at harbour, filled with silks and fine gems. This was no forsaken town on a lake! This was the centre of all trade in the North."

Thorin is speaking earnestly to the crowd, and the people nod in agreement.

"I would see those days return. I would relight the great forges of the dwarves and send wealth and riches flowing once more from the halls of Erebor!"

The people cheer and clap, and the Master looks on, calculating. Suddenly, a voice calls out over the crowd, and Bard strides forward.

"Death! That is what you will bring upon us. Dragon-fire and ruin. If you awaken that beast, it will destroy us all."

The people whisper anxiously.

"You can listen to this naysayer, but I promise you this; If we succeed, all will share in the wealth of the mountain. You will have enough gold to rebuild Esgaroth ten times over!"

The people shout in excitement and they applaud. I notice the Master looking on, smiling and nodding at this turn of events. His smile unnerves me slightly. I can tell this is a man who doesn't care about his people. As long as he has wealth and food, his people can starve.

"Why should we take you at your word, eh? We don't know nothing about you. Who here can vouch for your character?"

No one says anything for quite some time, and for a moment, I fear no one will, before Bilbo, standing in the crowd, raises his hand.

"Me. I'll vouch for him. Now, I have travelled far with these dwarves through great danger, and if Thorin Oakenshield gives his word, then he will keep it."

I just smile at the hobbit. When I first met him at Trollshaw, he was a small, scared thing, so nervous around the dwarves and skittish about everything. But now, he, like myself, have developed a close bond with the dwarves.

"All of you! Listen to me! You must listen! Have you forgotten what happened to Dale?!"

The people quiet down and shake their heads sadly.

"Have you forgotten those who died in the firestorm?!"

"No!" the people shout.

"And for what purpose? The blind ambition of a mountain-king so riven by greed, he could not see beyond his own desire!"

As Bard and Thorin stare at each other angrily, the crowd gets louder, but then the Master steps forth.

"Now, now, we must not, any of us, be too quick to lay blame. Let us not forget that it was Girion, Lord of Dale, your ancestor, who failed to kill the beast!"

The Master points accusingly at Bard, and the crowd begins to clamour. As Bard looks away, Thorin looks at him in shock and anger.

"It's true, sire. We all know the story: arrow after arrow he shot, each one missing its mark."

Bard looks around as the crowd yells angrily at him, which I do not think is fair. How can anyone judge a man from missing the aim of a FLYING dragon? Even the most skilled elf would miss the shot. Bard then strides forward and speaks to Thorin earnestly.

"You have no right, no right to enter that mountain!"

"I have the only right."

Thorin turns and faces the Master.

"I speak to the Master of the men of the Lake. Will you see the prophecy fulfilled? Will you share in the great wealth of our people?"

The people quietly watch in anticipation.

"What say you?"

The Master thinks for several seconds, then smiles and points his finger at Thorin.

"I say unto you. . .welcome! Welcome and thrice welcome, King under the Mountain!"

The Master opens his arms in welcome, and the crowd erupts in cheers. Bard looks on silently. Thorin climbs up a few steps and turns to face the audience; the people hug each other in excitement and joy. Thorin and Bard stare at each other before the man turns and leaves.

That night, we spend it in the Masters house as he puts on a celebration with drink, food and music. I sit back alone, not in any mood to celebrate. Thinking about this task at first is such an honourable task, to be able to reclaim a lost homeland, and give the dwarves back the place they belong, but now I think more about it, I cannot help but think is there a point to it? I will always agree and be on the same side as the dwarves, but I also cannot stop thinking about what Bard had said. He is right that if we awaken the beast, he could easily crash through the walls of Erebor and turn his anger onto the people of Laketown, burning it and the people into the ground.

So deep into my thoughts I am, I don't notice Bilbo sitting next to me until he speaks.

"Are you alright, Violet?"

I look to him for a moment before nodding. "I'm fine. Just thinking about the quest."

He nods. "Is what Bard said getting to you also?"

"Aye. I feel so torn. I'm with Thorin, and will stop at nothing to help him reclaim his home, but. . ."

"There's the worry for the people here."

At my agreement of his statement, he sighs.

"We just have to hope that we can stop the dragon before anything like that happens."

I nod, praying to Yavanna that we can keep this town safe.

* * *

The next morning comes, and once we have donned the armour we have been given by the Master, we leave the house and make our way to the docks.

"You do know we're one short; where's Bofur?" Bilbo asks.

Looking around, I also notice that the hatted dwarf is missing.

"If he's not here, we leave him behind." Thorin informs us.

Balin nods. "We have to, if we're to find the door before nightfall. We can risk no more delays."

Arriving at the boat, we all begin to board. However, Thorin stops Kili before he can get in the boat.

"Not you. We must travel with speed, you will slow us down."

I look up to see Kili smiling, thinking Thorin is joking.

"What are you talking about? I'm coming with you."

"No."

Fili, who is standing next to me, turns and looks at Thorin and Kili.

"I'm going to be there when that door is opened, when we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin."

"Kili, stay here. Rest. Join us when you're healed."

Thorin lays his hand on Kili's shoulder and smiles at him, but Kili looks shocked and betrayed. Thorin turns to board the boat. Kili turns away. Oin gets out of the boat.

"I'll stay with the lad. My duty lies with the wounded."

I just look to Kili, a look of hurt of sadness on my face as I watch him pulling away from Oin as the dwarf is trying to examine him.

Fili stands up to Thorin. "Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us. You can't take that away from him!"

"Fili."

"I will carry him, if I must!"

"One day you will be king, and you will understand. I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf, not even my own kin."

Fili looks at Kili, then steps out of the boat. Thorin tries to stop him.

"Fili, don't be a fool. You belong with the Company."

"I belong with my brother."

Fili pulls away from Thorin and goes to join Kili and Oin. Looking over to Kili, I know there is no way I can leave him. The dwarf I love is seriously injured and ill, how can I just turn away now? Getting out of the boat, I begin to make my way over before Thorin grabs my arm.

"No. You will stay with us. I need everyone I can to finish this. I cannot afford to lose anyone else. You will come with us."

"But, Thorin, I-"

"You have no duty or obligation to stay with him, unlike Oin and Fili. Give me one reason why I should let you stay."

Remembering our promise to say nothing of our secret courtship to anyone, especially Thorin, I don't say anything. I can't say anything.

Thorin nods. "Come."

As he gets in the boat, I turn to Kili to see him looking to me. He gives me a slight nod as I give him a small, apologetic smile before going back in the boat. Music plays as the Master stands and addresses the people, but I don't pay attention as I keep my gaze on Kili, asking the Valar to protect him, help him and let him return to us soon.

I hold onto the side of the boat as the others use the oars to sail out of town. I turn away as I soon lose sight of Kili and the others. Reaching into my pocket, I feel the stone Kili gave me in the dungeons and think of his promise to me.

"Return to me soon, my love. . ." I think to myself as we get further away from Laketown.

* * *

Hunched over in pain, Kili sits on the crate and watches as Violet drifts further and further away from her. He wishes beyond anything that he could be there with her, to protect her as she goes into the mountain to face the dragon. But, what can he do? He can barely stand as it is. . .why she chose to fall in love with such a weak and helpless dwarf is beyond him. . .

Bofur suddenly pushed his way through the crowd, watching as the others are far off down the canal. He then turns and notices the three dwarves.

"Ah! So you missed the boat as well?"

Before anything more can be said, Kili suddenly moans in pain and begins to fall over, but Fili catches him.

"Kili? Kili!"

Oin tries to examine him.

"Oin! What's wrong!?" Fili asks worriedly.

"I don't know lad! But we need to get him some help, and fast!"

"Maybe the Master can help us." Bofur suggests.

Fili and Bofur hold Kili up between them and the five of us rush off to the Masters house. They reach the house to see the Master and Alfrid striding up the stairs. They push past the guards lined up outside, making room for the dwarves.

"Please, wait!" Fili shouts out.

The Master and Alfrid turns to the four of them.

"Please, we need your help. My brother is sick." Fili begs.

"Sick? Is it infectious?" The Master asks as he covers his mouth with a cloth. "Get back. Alfrid, Alfrid, don't let them come any closer!"

Fili's heart drops as he realises they won't help them. Oin steps up to try to convince them.

"Please. We need medicine."

"Do I look like an apothecary?" Alfrid asks. "Haven't we given you enough? The Master's a busy man. He hasn't got time to worry about sick Dwarves. Be gone with you, clear off."

The guards push the dwarves away, Fili and Bofur trying to keep Kili from falling out of their grasps.

"What do we do know?" Fili asks, sounding desperate.

* * *

 **Well, there we have it. Violet and Kili are separated for a time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please stay tuned for the next one. Keep your lovely reviews coming xx**


	20. The Desolation of Smaug

**Hey all! Chapter 20 all done and dusted! Just need to warn you all, been suffering with depression again the past couple of days and I don't know how that's going to affect my writing, so please continue to be patient with me.**

 **Also on another note, for those who have already read the previous chapter, I've added a paragraph onto the end if you wanna go back and reread it before you continue reading this one. Thank you!**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** – In the end, Violet had to go with Thorin in order to keep the secrecy of their relationship from him. As for Smaug. . .we'll find out in the next chapter.

 **CrystalVixen93** – I'm glad you love this story and hope you enjoy this chapter!

 **LarissaValentiMeedachi2613** – I'm happy you like it so!

 **MajesticLunicorn** – I'm glad you liked it and thank you, I'm happy you enjoy my writing. It has certainly gotten better since I first started on here over 10 years ago!

 **SilverLark25** – Violet and Kili will definitely be reunited later, don't worry. . .not before both suffer some worry and heartache. It was definitely hard for her to stop saying anything about her and Kili.

As for Thorin using her and her wolf side? Violet will be offering to go in willingly in order to keep Bilbo safe as you'll see in the next chapter xx

 **MonkeyGirl13 –** Here's the next chapter for you! Please enjoy!

* * *

 **The Desolation of Smaug**

Bard opens his door to find Bofur, Fili, Kili, and Oin on his doorstep.

"No. I'm done with dwarves. Go away."

He tries to slam the door shut, but Bofur stops it with his foot.

"No, no, no! No one will help us; Kili's sick. He's very sick."

Looking to the young dwarf being supported by Oin and Fili; he looks extremely sick, he face pale and clammy with sweat. Bard hesitates before letting them into his home once more.

* * *

By late afternoon, we finally reach the other side of the lake and step onto shore. Once we've left the boat, we quickly shed the armour we were given from the Master before making our way towards the mountain, with me taking one last look at the town before following Bilbo and the dwarves.

* * *

We spend the rest of the day walking before we stop to sleep for the night and then continue on the next morning. Walking over a hill, I stop and stare at the Lonely Mountain, just how tall and majestic it actually looks. When I was a child, I remember sitting on the Carrock and looking towards this mountain, wondering how anyone could live underground, how anyone could think of this place being such a wonder to live in. But, from just seeing the outside. . .I can see how the dwarves would have called this place home.

"It's so quiet." I say as I look around.

There's no sound of animals or even the slight rustle of the breeze in the air. The whole ground around the mountain is like a barren wasteland. No green grass, no trees. . .there's nothing.

"It wasn't always like this." Balin replies as he and Bilbo join me. He points to some slopes to our right. "Once, these slopes were lined with woodlands. The trees. . .were filled with birdsong."

"Relax, Master Baggins, Violet. We have food, we have tools and we're making good time." Thorin says as he walks past us.

He suddenly runs atop an embankment overlooking a valley. The others also run over, Bilbo and I joining them. I stare, sadness in my eyes as I see the ruins of a city, which lies before the gates of Erebor.

"What is this place?" Bilbo asks.

"It was once the city of Dale. Now it is a ruin. The desolation of Smaug." Balin replies with hate in his voice.

Dale. . .the city my grandmother was born in. . .after the stories my mama used to tell me about it. . .I'm finally seeing it with my own eyes.

"The sun will soon reach midday; let's find the hidden door into the mountain before it sets. This way!" Thorin exclaims as he starts to walk away.

"Wait. . .is this the overlook?" Bilbo asks, turning to Thorin before the dwarf runs off. "Gandalf said to meet him here. On no account were we-"

Thorin interrupts him abruptly. "Do you see him? We have no time to wait upon the wizard. We're on our own." Thorin turns and walks away. "Come."

Bilbo looks back at the city, conflicted. After a few moments, Bilbo and I follow the dwarves.

* * *

After a few hours of searching, we are still no closer to finding the secret entrance and I can tell Thorin is getting frustrated.

"Anything?" Thorin asks, raising his voice for us all to hear as we're all scattered around.

"Nothing!" Dwalin replies.

"If the map is true, the hidden door lies directly above us." I hear Thorin say as he reads the map again.

I walk with Bilbo as we both look around.

"Vi, look at this."

Looking to the hobbit, I see him pointing to one of the statues. There seems to be a pattern that zig-zags up and it looks like some stairs have been carved into it.

I smile as I look to Bilbo. "I think this is it."

"Up here!" Bilbo yells back.

Thorin and the others dwarves run over and looks to where the stairs are.

"You have keen eyes, Master Baggins." Thorin compliments him, I can hear the smile in his voice.

* * *

We spend the rest of the afternoon making our way up the steep and treacherous steps, I help up Bilbo and Balin on the way, to which I am given grateful smiles, and find a little rock-walled clearing in the side of the mountain. Once I reach the top, I see a clearing that overlooks Dale.

Thorin runs to the clearing. "This must be it. The hidden door."

We all gather around the clearing as Thorin turns to us, holding up the key.

"Let all those who doubted us rue this day!"

The dwarves all cheer at this.

"Right. We have our key, which means that somewhere, there is a keyhole." Dwalin says as he begins exploring the walls of the clearing with his fingers, looking for a keyhole.

"The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole." I hear Thorin say.

Looking to him, I see him looking to the sun which is setting fast behind the mountains in the distance. Thorin looks at the wall and tries to figure out what the light hitting the wall means. As the sun gets lower and lower on the horizon and nothing changes on the wall, Thorin begins to get frantic.

"Nori."

Nori, who I have been told is known as a thief, runs to the wall and begins tapping it in different places with a spoon while holding his ear to a cup held against the wall. Meanwhile, Dwalin strains and pushes against the wall. The sun gets lower.

"We're losing the light."

"Come on!" Dwalin shouts as he begins kicking at the wall.

Nori begins to get agitated at Dwalin's thumping. "Be quiet! I can't hear when you're thumping."

"I can't find it. . .it's not here! It's not here."

As the sun gets closer to disappearing, Thorin frantically gestures to the other dwarves.

"Break it down!"

Dwalin, Gloin, and Bifur smash at the wall with their weapons, to no avail.

"Come on!"

"It's no good! The door's sealed. It can't be opened by force. Powerful magic on it." Balin informs us all.

The dwarves hitting the door drop their weapons in tiredness and disappointment. The sun disappears behind distant mountains.

"No!" Thorin stumbles forward and re-examines the old map, reading aloud. "The last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole. That's what it says." He holds his arms open is disbelief; the other dwarves mutter in disappointment and anger. "What did we miss?" Thorin walks up to Balin and repeats his question, earnestly and tearfully. It's hard to hear and see a dwarf that is normally so strong and proud to almost break down into tears. "What did we miss, Balin?"

"We've lost the light. There's no more to be done. We had but one chance." Balin replies.

The dwarves bow their heads in despair and turn back toward the stairs.

"Come away; it's. . .it's over."

"Wait a minute!" Bilbo exclaims.

"You wait." Gloin grumbles.

Bilbo looks to me. "Where are they going?" I don't answer as I watch the others leave. "You can't give up now!"

I turn as I hear something clatter to the floor to see Thorin has dropped the key, a look of defeat on his face.

I look to the Dwarf King. "Thorin. . .you can't give up now."

But Thorin presses the map into Bilbo's chest and walks past him.

I walk over to Bilbo, refusing to give up and see he is reading the map So I stand behind him so I can read it as well.

"What did we miss, Bilbo? There's got to be something we missed."

He nods in agreement as he looks to the wall. "What was the riddle again? Stand by the grey stone. . .when the thrush knocks. . ."

I look around, looking for a thrush, but find none. "The last light of Durin's Day. . .will shine upon the keyhole. . ."

As I am thinking about the riddle, something suddenly enters my mind at the same time as Bilbo's as we both mutter together;

"The moon. . ."

We look to each other before looking up at the now dark sky to see the clouds parting to reveal the moon. As we hear a tapping coming from behind, we turn to see a thrush knocking a snail into the stone just before the moonlight shines upon the wall. As it does, both of us let out an excited breath as we see the keyhole

As the thrush flies away, Bilbo and I laugh with relief and delight as he points at the wall.

"The last light!"

Bilbo gasps in surprise and we both let out a cheer and I can't help but change into my wolf form and howl at the moon, hopefully alerting the dwarves.

Bilbo rushes to the edge to shout back to them. "Come back! Come back! It's the light of the moon, the last moon of autumn! Ha ha ha!"

Bilbo begins muttering to himself as he searches. "Where's the- Where's the key, Violet? Where's the- it was here. . .but it was here, it was here! It was just. . ."

I put my nose to the ground and sniff around as he looks down. Neither of us notice his foot coming close to the key before he accidentally nudges it, almost sending it off the edge until a heavy boot stops it.

I look up and sigh in relief as I see Thorin standing there, looking at us in surprise for a moment before he slowly picks up the key. The other dwarves are standing behind him, looking between Thorin and the keyhole in awe.

Thorin steps up to the wall and inserts the key and turns it, all of us hearing the locking mechanisms behind the rock. I notice him pause for a moment before he pushes the wall. It's stuck for a slight moment before the door opens, the seams completely invisible earlier. The door opens into a dark tunnel going into the mountain. The dwarves look on in awe as Thorin stands on the threshold, looking into the mountain.

"Erebor. . ." Thorin mutters in almost disbelief.

"Thorin. . ." Balin chokes up next to him.

Thorin puts a hand on his shoulder before he steps into the mountain.

"I know these walls. . .these halls. . .this stone." I hear Thorin say. "You remember it, Balin. . .Chambers filled with golden light."

"I remember." Balin says as he steps into the tunnel.

Bilbo and I walk in after Gloin while he's talking.

"Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk." I hear Gloin speak.

Looking around, I see he, Nori and Balin are looking at a carving in the wall above the door. I looks to be what I could assume is the throne of Erebor, there seems to be something above it sending out rays of light in all directions.

"May the heart of the mountain unite all dwarves in defense of this home."

Balin explains. "The throne of the king."

I look between him and the carving. "And what's that above it?"

"The Arkenstone."

"Arkenstone. . .And what's that?" Bilbo asks.

"That, Master Burglar, is why you are here." Thorin says as he looks to the Hobbit.

All the dwarves look at Bilbo, and he looks bewildered, but resolute.

* * *

 **Well, there we have it. The door is finally opened. Next chapter we see Smaug, so please stay tuned for then. Please keep leaving your lovely reviews, love hearing from you all xx**


	21. Smaug

**Hey peeps! Sorry this chapter has taken a while, I've been ill physically and mentally the past week or so, so have not been in a right state of mind to continue writing, but here we have the finished chapter for Bilbo's and Violet's encounter with Smaug! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Oh, just for an update for I See the Light, I will be continuing with it obviously, but it make be a few days, maybe a week or so until the next chapter is up. I apologise for delaying in the update, but I'm just going to be focusing on this for a few chapters and will be back to I See the Light. Please don't be mad. xx**

 **Review Responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** – Obviously she will feel a sadness as the stories are of the destruction of her grandmother's home, and to finally see it. . .would be a shock for her.

 **CrystalVixen93** – I'm glad you love this story, and here's the new chapter! Sorry for making you wait!

* * *

Smaug

In Bard's house, Kili is laying on a bed, moaning and straining in pain, his face covered in sweat.

"Ah! Ugh! Argh!"

As he continues moaning, Bofur fills a bowl with hot water and rushes to him.

"Can you not do something?" Fili asks Oin, his voice full of fear and panic.

Oin turns to the older brother to reply. "I need herbs, something to bring down his fever."

Bard searches through his bag of medicines. "I have nightshade, feverfew. . ."

"They're no use to me. Do you have any Kingsfoil?"

"No, it's a weed. We feed it to the pigs."

"Pigs? Weed? Right." he then points to Kili. "Don't move."

Bofur then turns and leaves the house in search of the weed.

* * *

After volunteering to go into the treasure hall with Bilbo, Balin leads us both through the tunnel and into the interior of the mountain.

"You want us to find a jewel?" I ask him.

Balin nods. "A large white jewel, yes."

"That's it? Only, I imagine there's quite a few down there." Bilbo points out.

"There is only one Arkenstone. You'll know it when you see it."

"Alright."

Balin begins to walk back down the tunnel, but then pauses and turns back to us.

"In truth, lad, lass, I do not know what you will find down there. You needn't go if you don't want to, there's no dishonour in turning back." He then looks to me. "Especially for you, you didn't sign up to do this."

I shake my head along with Bilbo.

"No, Balin, I promised I would do this, and I think I must try."

"Yes, and I promised to help all I could as well."

Balin looks between us both, then begins to chuckle appreciatively.

"It never ceases to amaze me."

"What's that?" Bilbo asks.

"The courage of Hobbits. And Skin-Changers." he adds on while throwing a grin at me, to which I smile back. "Go now with as much luck as you can muster."

We nod at each other, and Bilbo and I proceed down the tunnel while Balin turns back.

"Oh, and Bilbo, Violet. . ." We both look back to the older dwarf. "if there is, in fact, a live dragon down there, don't waken it."

Bilbo looks worried, but nods.

"Erm, Balin, can you do me a favour before we go?"

He nods and I walk over to him and hand him the stone Kili gave me in Mirkwood. Balin looks to the stone and back to me, a shocked and surprised expression on his face as he recognised it.

"How did you?"

"Kili gave it to me in the dungeons. Just as he promised his mother he'd return to her, he's promised to return to me so he can reclaim it."

He looks to the stone and back to me. "Are you and he-?"

"Not officially, but we're hoping to once Erebor is yours again."

Balin smiles before he embraces me. "Well, I'm very happy for you lassie. And do not worry, I will keep the stone and your secret safe."

I pull away and kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Balin."

He smiles and nods as I turn and follow Bilbo. He walks on a few more steps, then turns as if to ask a question, but we see Balin is already disappearing around a corner. I stand beside him and place a hand on his shoulders.

"Are you ready for this, my friend?" I ask him.

He takes a deep breath. "No. . .but let's do it anyway."

I nod and change into my wolf form before we both tiptoe toward Smaug's lair.

* * *

Bilbo and I quietly walk through a large doorway and finds ourselves in a massive hall. He whispers out loud.

"Hello?"

He knocks quietly on the wall beside him, but the sound is intensified loudly as it echoes, and he jumps and presses himself against the wall in shock, with me ducking down in the shadows behind him. Seeing no reaction to the noise, we walk out into the hall on an elevated walkway.

"You're not at home. Not at home. Good. Good, good, good. Lucky for us, Violet."

Bilbo, at the top of a staircase, suddenly stops walking and his mouth hangs open in shock. Turning to see what he's looking at, my mouth also drops in shock. In front of us we see mountains of gold, jewels, weapons, cups, and all sorts of treasure piled dozens of feet high all throughout the immensely massive hall. This task just got difficult.

Bilbo climbs down the stairs and carefully begins to walk atop the treasure. He tries to be quiet, but the coins and jewels beneath his feet make a lot of noise. Following him onto the coins, I wince with every step as I feel the gold fall as jingle against one another. Bolbo pokes around, looking for the Arkenstone, picking up random jewels. I also dig around, not not to jostle too much with my big paws. Finding a large white jewel, I pick it up in my mouth and nudge Bilbo's side to show him.

"What's that?"

He takes the jewel and shakes it before continuing to examine it from every angle; deciding that it's not the Arkenstone, he carelessly throws it aside, then jumps when it clatters and makes a lot of noise.

"Sushh, sushh."

I try not to giggle at this as we continue to look around.

"Arkenstone, Arkenstone. . .a large, white jewel. Very helpful. How are we supposed to do this, Violet?"

I nuzzle my head under his hand, trying to give him a little comfort before we move on.

* * *

After quite some time, we manage to climb up a mountain of gold, near to a large black pillar. Bilbo picks up a golden cup, which starts a small avalanche of coins. We both freeze as we look up and see the coins falling to reveal one of Smaug's eyes, which is thankfully shut. Bilbo and I immediately jump behind the pillar in fright. The jingle from the coins finally end and all is eerily silent, it seems as though Smaug is still asleep.

Suddenly, Smaug snorts, and the treasure around his nose falls away, revealing it. Bilbo, panting, waves his hand for us to move back and we slowly try to make our way down the pile of gold, but we stop short when we realize that Smaug's body is buried in a large circle around where we are standing, as the gold all along Smaug's body begins to ripple as he awakens.

I watch as Bilbo takes a few steps, then pauses and kneels as I hear Smaug beginning to raise his head. I suddenly see Bilbo run and dive behind a pile of gold and know that Smaug's eye is now open.

Hearing the gold jingle more, I take this chance to bury myself in a large mound of gold just as the dragon fully raises. I manage to make a small hole so that I can what is happening. My mouth drops and I almost gasp out loud as I see the huge, red reptile. Smaug raises his head and sniffs the air. He is sniffing us out.

"Well, thieves, I smell you. I hear your breaths. I feel your airs. Where are you both?"

As Smaug says this, he walks past me, his huge clawed foot coming within inches of me, his head moving back and forth around the place to look for where we are. I just hope and pray that Bilbo is well hidden.

It's then I hear the sound of falling coins, but not from Smaug. Peeking through, I see the coins falling further down, Smaug following rapidly. While he is distracted by the falling coins and the sound of his own feet moving, I jump out of my hiding place and hide behind another pillar, close to where he is standing

"Come now, don't be shy. Step into the light. Mmm, there is something about you, something you carry. Something made of gold, but far more. . . _PRECIOUSSSSS._ "

My ears prick up at this. Precious. . .that is what the creature Gollum kept saying; "My precious is lost!" "HE STOLE IT!" So, Bilbo really did steal something from the creature.

"There you are, thief in the shadows."

Popping my head around at Smaug's voice, my blood runs cold as the dragons head is uncomfortably close to Bilbo. Letting out a growl I run forward, causing both of them to look to me as I jump in front of my friend, growling and snarling at the reptile, my hackles raised and ear flat against my head. Smaug pulls his head back in surprise for a moment before he lets out a deep chuckle.

"You have brought a scrawny pup for protection? How. . .cute. As if a little wolf would be a threat against me. Unless it is another thief!"

"We did not come to steal from you, O Smaug the Unassessably Wealthy." Bilbo steps in, taking Smaug's attention of me. "I merely wanted to gaze upon your magnificence, to see if you really were as great as the old tales say. I did not believe them." Bilbo's voice becomes uncomfortably higher at the end.

Hearing this, Smaug stomps several yards away and draws himself up so his entire body is visible to us. He is a massive dragon with two back legs and two front legs, two massive, bat-like wings with claws, and both his neck and tail are incredibly long and red in colour.

"And, do you now?!"

"Truly, the tales and songs fall utterly short of your enormity, O Smaug the Stupendous."

"Do you think flattery will keep you and your pet alive?"

I feel a little insulted by the word 'pet', but I don't make any movement to make him think otherwise. Right now, I need to act like a tamed animal.

"No- no, no."

"No, indeed. You seem familiar with my name, but I don't remember smelling your kind before. Wolf, yes. But not you. Who are you, and where do you come from, may I ask?"

Smaug snakes his head closer to Bilbo as he asks this. As Bilbo hesitates, I look back to see his attention on something else. Following his gaze, buried under a layer of coins, I see it. A white gem that seems to glow with an unnatural light, as well as white, it seems to glow with a mixture of blues, pinks and purples. I immediately know it to be the Arkenston and can see why Thorin is desperate to get his hands on the jewel. It is truly a wonder.

"I- I come from under the hill."

"Underhill?"

Bilbo nods, and sneaks another peek at the Arkenstone. It is not far away from him.

"And under hills and over hills our path has led. And, and, through the air. I am he who walks unseen."

"Impressive. What else do you claim to be?"

Smaug snakes his head forward until his teeth are inches from our faces. As Smaug exhales, Bilbo grimaces at his breath, waving a hand in front of him. He should count himself lucky. My sense of smell is forty times greater than his. I'm ready to throw up the small amount of lunch we had earlier.

"I am. . .luck-wearer. Riddle-maker."

"Lovely titles; go on."

"Barrel-rider."

"Barrels? Now that is interesting." he stomps away a little before turning back to us. "And what about your little dwarf friends? Where are they hiding?"

Oh-no. . .he knows.

Bilbo tries to play dumb as I see his face turn to confusion. "Dw- Dwarves? No, no, no dwarves here. You've got that all wrong."

"Oh, I don't think so, barrel-rider. They sent you in here to do their dirty work while they skulk about outside."

"Truly, you are mistaken, O Smaug, Chiefest and Greatest of calamities."

"You have nice manners...for a thief and a liar! I know the smell and taste of dwarf. No one better. Your little wolf reeks of it."

My thoughts instantly go to Kili as, apart from the embrace from Balin, is the only dwarf I have come close to holding. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bilbo inching towards the Arkenstone.

"It is the gold! They are drawn to treasure like flies to dead flesh."

As Smaug stomps about, his claws knock the Arkenstone away from where it had been, and Bilbo gasps, while I inwardly panic. The Arkenstone bounces down the mountain, and Bilbo runs after it, with me chasing after him.

"Did you think I did not know this day would come, when a pack of canting dwarves would come crawling back to the mountain?!"

Bilbo trips and slides down the gold. Smaug follows after him, knocking over as massive stone pillar in his rage.

* * *

As the pillar falls, its reverberations sound throughout the mountain. Even the dwarves sitting in the clearing above the secret stairs hear it and stand up, all of them looking around in fear.

"Was that an earthquake?" Dori asks.

"That, my lad. . .was a dragon." Balin replies.

Thorin looks worried.

* * *

The reverberation reaches as far as Laketown; in Bard's house, everyone looks up at the sound, and dust falls from the ceiling. Kili is still moaning in pain.

Sigrid turns to her father. "Da?"

"It's coming from the mountain." Bain says as he looks out of the window.

Fili leaves Kili's side and approaches Bard.

"You should leave us. Take your children; get out of here."

Bard turns to the heir. "And go where? There is nowhere to go."

"Are we going to die, Da?" Tilda asks, on the verge of tears.

"No, darling."

"The dragon, it's going to kill us."

Bard looks at his children worriedly for a moment, then reaches up and pulls a black arrow, the last of the three that Girion had in Dale, from where it had been hidden as a drying rack for plants. His children look at the arrow in shock, as do the dwarves.

"Not if I kill it first."

* * *

"The King under the mountain is dead. I took his throne."

As Smaug is looking for us, the both of us burst out of a pile of gold right from beneath Smaug's claw. We run down a staircase, and leap off the side as Smaug's head swings at us.

"I ate his people like a wolf among sheep."

As the Arkenstone bounces rapidly down the mountain of gold, we slide rapidly after it with Smaug in pursuit.

"I kill where I wish, when I wish. My armour is iron."

The Arkenstone, Bilbo and I slide under a covered stone structure; looking back, I see Smaug open his wings and glide down to land atop the structure we are under.

"No blade can pierce me!"

* * *

The dwarves in the clearing on the mountain see an orange glow from the mountain coming through the door.

"What about Bilbo and Violet?" Ori asks, worrying for the two.

"Give them more time." Thorin answers.

"Time to do what? To be killed?" Balin asks, frustration lining his voice.

Thorin to the older Fundin. "You're afraid."

Balin pauses for a moment, slightly taken aback, then steps up to Thorin.

"Yes, I'm afraid. I fear for YOU. A sickness lies upon that treasure hoard, a sickness that drove your grandfather mad."

Thorin turns back to look in the distance. "I am not my grandfather."

"You're not yourself. The Thorin I know would not hesitate to go in there-"

"I will not risk this quest for the life of one burglar. . .or lowly skin-changer."

Balin looks at Thorin in disgust.

"Bilbo. His name is Bilbo. And hers is Violet, who is in no way a lowly skin-changer, don't forget all she has done for us, for this quest."

Thorin looks contemplatively out into the night as Balin turns away.

* * *

Smaug is searching for Bilbo and I, who are hiding under the stone structure.

"It's Oakenshield. That filthy dwarvish usurper! He sent you in here for the Arkenstone, didn't he?"

Smaug circles around the structure; Bilbo and I, hiding beneath it, see the Arkenstone at the other end of the structure.

"No, no, no. I don't know what you're talking about."

Bilbo starts to sneak over to the Arkenstone, me right behind, but we're forced to hide behind a pillar as Smaug looks beneath the structure.

"Don't bother denying it. I guessed his foul purpose some time ago. But it matters not. Oakenshield's quest will fail. The darkness is coming, it will spread to every corner of the land. You have been used, thief in the shadows. You were only ever a means to an end. The coward Oakenshield has weighed the value of your life and that of your pet and have found them worth nothing."

I nuzzle my head into Bilbo. Thorin's not like that. . .is he? Thorin wouldn't find our lives worth nothing. . .would he?

Bilbo rubs his hand on my head as he shakes his head. "No. No. No, you're lying!"

"What did he promise you? A share of the treasure? As if it was his to give. I will not part with a single coin. Not one piece of it."

Bilbo, hearing that Smaug is on top of the structure, seeks the Arkenstone lying a few feet away from the structure and makes a run for it. Smaug sees him and whips his tail, sending Bilbo, the Arkenstone, and gold flying. Bilbo tumbles and lands against a pillar.

"Bilbo!" I cry out, which comes out as a bark as I run along the gold, dodging Smaug's feet as I go.

Reaching the hobbit, I nuzzle against him, making sure he's alright before helping him up as Smaug comes closer.

"My teeth are swords! My claws are spears! My wings are a hurricane!"

As Smaug displays his wings, I notice a scale missing on the left side of Smaug's chest. I suddenly remember what Bain had said in Bard's house, just a couple days before;

 _"Then you would know that Girion hit the dragon. He loosened a scale under the left wing. One more shot and he would have killed the beast."_

The boy was telling the truth. . .

"So it is true. The black arrow found its mark." Bilbo mutters, also noticing the same thing.

Smaug, whips his head around, looking more angry than a dragon can. "What did you say?"

"Uh, uh, I was just saying your reputation precedes you, oh Smaug the tyrannical. Truly, you have no equal on this earth."

As Bilbo speaks, he and I slowly back up. We're standing in a bare, open spot, and Smaug face us. As he finishes speaking, Bilbo looks down and sees the Arkenstone lying just a few feet from us, and he gazes at it. I also look to it. If we're careful, we can get it now and run before Smaug can get us.

"I am almost tempted to let you take it, if only to see Oakenshield suffer, watch it destroy him, watch it corrupt his heart and drive him mad."

Bilbo and Smaug face off; I hear Bilbo panting next to me. Then Smaug begins to rear his head.

"But I think not. I think our little game ends here. So tell me, thief, how do you choose to die?"

Smaug's chest glows with a light from inside, and Smaug's head streaks forward, jaws open, to eat Bilbo.

"Violet, run!" Bilbo shouts before he puts a ring on his finger and suddenly disappears.

I jump back in surprise, just missing the snapping of Smaug's jaws as it close on an empty space. Angrily, he raises his head again, and the glow from his chest travels up his neck; I turn and run just as I hear his roar and feel the heat of the fire coming close. I dive behind a mound of coins, only to howl in pain as the fire catch my hind legs. Landing with a thud, I quickly hide under the coins as I hear Smaug fly over me, feeling the heat of the fire he bellows out as he destroys pillars.

* * *

 **Woo! And so it begins! Please stay tuned for the next chapter! Leave all your lovely reviews xx**


	22. Survival

Survival

 **Hey all! The next chapter up already and it's quite a long one! I hope you all enjoy reading this one as much as I did with writing it!**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** – Well, luckily after this chapter, she won't need to play cat and mouse with Smaug anymore. As for how she'll feel about Smaug going to Laketown, you'll have to see that in the next chapter.

 **CrystalVixen93** – I'm glad you are loving this and here is the next chapter for you to enjoy xx

 **MonkeyGirl13** – Here's the next chapter. You shouldn't have too much to fear. . .unless I decide how evil I want to be. . .

* * *

Bofur runs through Laketown, trying to find Kingsfoil. He smells some flowers on a windowsill and rejects them.

"Na."

As he continues running about, Bolg and other orcs spy him from a rooftop.

" **Khozd!"** one of the Orcs cries out quietly.

Bolg growls softly. Bofur finds a pig eating some weeds; he yanks it out of the pig's mouth and examines it, then smiles and turns to get back to Kili. Bolg and his Orcs follow on the rooftops.

* * *

At Bard's house, Sigrid leans over the balcony outside the front door, looking for her father. She hears a noise and calls out.

"Da? Is that you, Da?" Sigrid asks as she looks around.

She looks around for Bard but doesn't look up and see Orcs creeping on the roofs of the neighbouring houses. Inside, Oin hears a noise on the roof and looks up. As Sigrid turns to walk back inside, an Orc drops on the balcony behind her. She screams and slams the door, but the Orc stops it with his sword. Hearing the screams, Bain, Tilda, and the dwarves jump up.

* * *

As Bofur hurries toward Bard's house, an Orcs leaps at him from above. As the Orc swings its axe, Bofur falls backward and drops the Kingsfoil.

* * *

At the house, another door opens and an Orc strides inside. Oin throws a stack of plates at its head, but another Orc breaks through the roof and falls into the house. The first orc at the door swings at Sigrid, at she falls backward onto the table benches. She slides under the table and pulls the bench sideways next to her as a shield. Fili grapples with an Orc. As another orc falls in through the roof, Tilda throws a plate at it, then Sigrid pulls her under the table as well.

"Get down!" Sigrid yells out.

An orc threatens Bain, and Bain pushes the bench at it, knocking it over. Bain then grabs the end of the bench and throws it up, hitting the Orc in the head. More orcs jump in through the roof, and one approaches Kili, who is lying in bed.

* * *

Bofur tries to crawl away, but the Orc grabs him by the legs and pulls him back, then throws him onto a table which tips and causes Bofur to roll away. The orc raises its sword to cut Bofur down, but is suddenly skewered by an arrow through its chest. It falls over dead.

* * *

In the house, the girls scream as an Orc flips over the table they were hiding under. Another Orc leaps to the balcony in front of the house, but suddenly, Tauriel appears and stabs it in the throat with her knife. She pulls out her other knife as well, and begins killing the Orcs in the house.

Legolas jumps in through one of the holes in the roof. He too begins killing Orcs. An Orc approaches Kili and grabs him by the wounded leg. As Kili screams in pain, Tauriel throws her knife and it plunges into the Orc's throat. Legolas and Tauriel slay Orcs left and right.

As an Orc runs at them, Fili grabs Bain and forces him down.

"Get down!" He cries out to the boy.

Tauriel kills the Orc, then turns to kill another one. Kili stabs the Orc as well with the knife Tauriel had thrown earlier, and they together kill the Orc. But then, Kili falls over onto the floor, howling in pain, and Tauriel looks at him in worry.

An Orc, Bolg's lieutenant, flees from the house and jumps over the balcony, landing in a boat in the water below. He yells to Bolg, who is striding toward the house.

" **Ekinskeld. Obguranid!"**

" **Gur! Arangim!"** Bolg growls as he walks off, the other Orcs joining him.

In the house, Legolas stabs an Orc and trips it, and it falls backward over the balcony railing and lands in the boat below. The boat acts like a seesaw and sends Bolg's lieutenant orc, who had jumped into the boat earlier, flying up into the air, where Legolas slices off its head with his knives. As the orc's body falls into the water below, its head still looks at Legolas. Legolas releases the head and it falls. Legolas looks and sees the remaining Orcs running through Laketown after Bolg.

* * *

Bofur dazedly gets up and sees the Kingsfoil lying in front of him.

* * *

In the house, Bain speaks to Tauriel amazedly as he and the others stand.

"You killed them all."

"There are others. Tauriel, come." Legolas answers as he strides towards the door.

Tauriel, who had been looking after Kili, looks up. Kili is on the ground, and Oin examines him as Fili rushes over.

"We're losing him!"

Tauriel, looking shocked, looks at Kili, then at Legolas, who is waiting at the door.

"Tauriel."

Legolas looks at her for a moment and then walks out the door. Tauriel remains standing.

Legolas jumps over the balcony and onto a bridge, then begins running.

Tauriel looks away and begins to head out the door to follow Legolas. Just as she reaches the door, Kili moans in pain, and Tauriel turns to look at him.

Legolas catches up to the Orcs and shoots one at point blank; the arrow goes all the way through its head and into the wood planking behind.

Tauriel looks after Legolas, then at Kili again. She's been given an order by her Prince and she knows she must follow it, but how can she leave when Kili is dying. . .how could she let Violet go through the heartache of losing the one she loves? She can't let that happen. . .

Hearing a noise, Tauriel grabs her knives, then sees Bofur running up with the Kingsfoil. Her eyes open in shock and she takes the leaves from Bofur's stunned grasp.

"Athelas."

She reverently examines it.

"Athelas. . ."

"What are you doing. . .?" Bofur asks in confusion.

"I'm going to save him."

* * *

Once I am sure the dragon has moved a safe enough distance from my hiding space, I jump out and pause for a moment as pain shoot up my left hind leg. Once I am able to move, I run on, with my bad leg raised and run towards the exit, thankful to be on solid ground again. As I reach the stairs, my heart soars in relief at seeing Bilbo alive and well. He also smiled in relief at seeing me.

"Violet! You're alright!"

He rushes to me and holds me tight. I lay my head on his shoulder, thank Yavanna that she kept my friend safe. He suddenly gasps as he pulls away.

"Oh, Violet, your leg!"

Looking back at my left leg, I see the fur has singed away on my lower leg and a layer of skin burnt away, leaving it red and burning. The fur on my tail and other leg is also singed.

"I'm so sorry for leaving you alone."

I shake my head and nuzzle him, letting him know I'm alright before taking the sleeve of his coat in my mouth and pulling in the direction of the exit.

He nods. "Yes, you're right. Let's get out of here."

We both run on and soon find the stairs leading up to the exit.

"You're alive!" we hear Thorin exclaim.

Looking up, we see him stood at the top watching us.

"Not for much longer!" Bilbo points out.

"Did you find the Arkenstone?"

"The dragon's coming!"

"The Arkenstone!"

Thorin stands at the entrance, blocking us from leaving. As I'm looking at him, I can see a strange glint in his eye, a glint that scares me for a moment.

"Did you find it?"

He stares at us for several seconds, his gaze drifting between us.

Bilbo breaks the uncomfortable silence "No. We have to get out."

Bilbo tries to enter the tunnel, but Thorin swings his sword across it, blocking the entrance. He presses the blade against Bilbo, and Bilbo stumbles back, the sword still touching him. Bilbo and Thorin face each other, with the tip of Thorin's sword against Bilbo's chest.

"Thorin. Thorin!"

Thorin steps forward, forcing Bilbo to step back. Bilbo's eyes are open in fear, and Thorin's face is steel and blank of emotion. I'm then reminded of the words from Smaug, about watching the Arkenstone drive him mad and think he's right. Stepping in front of Bilbo, I nudge Thorin back, getting him away from the hobbit. He looks to me in surprise before pointing the sword at me.

I suddenly see something moving out of the corner of my eye, looking towards the movement, I freeze as I see Smaug. Thorin, seeing my reaction, turns to where I'm looking and also sees the dragon. Smaug, recognizing Thorin, snarls. Bilbo and I stand behind Thorin, who has his sword raised, ready for Smaug, when the remaining dwarves run out of the tunnel roaring and face Smaug, their weapons out. Smaug roars and rushes at them; his chest and neck glow orange.

"You will burn!"

Just as Smaug bellows fire at them, the dwarves, Bilbo and I turn and jump off the staircase. We tumble down the pile of treasure and land near the entrance to another tunnel, me yelping in pain before we run into the tunnel.

"Come on, Bilbo! Violet!" Dori yells out.

Once we get into a room, safe from Smaug, I collapse in pain, causing Balin, Dori, Ori and Bilbo to rush over to me. Seeing my leg, Balin immediately asks if I'm alright. I just nod as Thorin rushes into the room, his coat on fire. He throws himself onto the ground to extinguish the flames, but just throws off the coat before jumping back up.

"Come on." he orders before leaving.

With help from Balin and Dori, I manage to get on my legs and limp after them.

* * *

At Bard's house, Tauriel washes and tears apart the Kingsfoil in a bowl of water held by Tilda. Fili, Oin, and Bofur pick up a moaning Kili and lay him on the table and try to hold him down.

"Hold him down."

She approaches with the bowl of water and examines Kili's wound. Seeing how black and festered it is, she looks away in worry. As the others look on, Tauriel closes her eyes and begins chanting in Elvish while she kneads the soaked Kingsfoil in her hand, then presses it to Kili's wound, who proceeds to scream and struggle, causing Fili to press hard onto his shoulder to stop him from moving.

" _Menno o nin na hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth."_

Kili screams and thrashes in pain, and Sigrid jumps in to help hold his good leg down.

"Tilda!" she calls out to her sister, who rushes in to help.

Tauriel continues chanting; Fili looks at her strangely, and Oin listens in amazement through his fairly dented hearing trumpet. Kili begins calming down. He can hear Tauriel's voice, as though it's from far away, but when he looks to her, all he can see is Violet, his lovely Violet with her waist length black hair and brown eyes that shine with the flecks of gold. She glows like the moon and stars she loves so much. Kili just stares at her, glassy-eyed.

* * *

The dwarves, Bilbo and I emerge out of a tunnel and approach a stone bridge over a chasm. Thorin raises his hand and quiets the group.

"Shh. Shh."

"Quiet."

We near the foot of the bridge and Thorin peers around the edge of the tunnel, looking for any sign of Smaug.

"We've given him the slip." Dori says, sounding relieved

Dwalin shakes his head. "No, he's too cunning for that."

"So where to now?" Bilbo asks.

"The western guardroom. There may be a way out." Thorin answers.

"It's too high. There's no chance that way." Balin points out.

"It's our only chance. We have to try."

Quietly, we tiptoe across the bridge, looking all about. Suddenly, a coin falls to the floor right in front of Bilbo and rings loudly. We all freeze and look at Bilbo, who frantically checks his jacket to see if some coin had been stuck in a fold. Hearing another coin fall, we look up and I freeze, my blood going cold as Smaug crawls along the ceiling just above us, looking for us, luckily he hasn't seen us. The coins that fell came from his chest and legs, where several coins and gems have embedded themselves after years of him sleeping on them. Thorin motions for us to keep moving and we follow him off the bridge. I wince as every noise my chain makes, but luckily Smaug doesn't notice as we run into another tunnel.

* * *

At Bard's house, Tauriel binds Kili's leg with a clean cloth. Kili lies on the table with his head in a basket of walnuts. Oin and Fili are in the kitchen, watching a pot of water boil.

"I've heard tell of the wonders of elvish medicine. That was a privilege to witness."

Kili slightly opens his eyes and looks at Tauriel.

"Violet. . ."

Tauriel looks to the dwarf and smiles. "Lie still."

"You cannot be her."

Tauriel looks up in confusion.

"She is far away. Sh-She is far, far away from me, and she walks in moonlight in another world."

Tauriel looks at Kili and smiles, even in his state of delirium, he thinks of Violet. She knew the Skin-Changer loves the dwarf, but wasn't sure if her feelings were reciprocated, now. . .she does.

"It was just a dream."

Kili slowly raises his hand and entwines his fingers with Tauriel's. Looking at their hands, Tauriel just puts it to him seeing Violet and not her.

"Do you think she could have loved me?"

Tauriel is silent for a few moments, not wanting to betray Violet's trust, but she grips the dwarf's hand in a friendly way and squeezes it in reassurance.

"I know she does, Kili. You will see her again soon. But for now, rest."

He nods as he lets go of her hand and lays his head back to sleep. Tauriel smiles as she continues binding his leg.

* * *

Running through a hall, we follow Thorin as he turns a sharp left into a room.

"Stay close."

We all stop abruptly when they see that the guardroom is full of rotted, dust- and cobweb-covered corpses. My heart drops and I almost want to weep for the poor people.

"That's it, then. There's no way out."

It seems like a landslide or something has blocked the exit, trapping the dwarves in the past in the room to die.

"The last of our kin. They must have come here, hoping beyond hope." Balin says sadly.

I drop my head as I see the corpses of men, women and children, even some babies still being held in their mother's arms. I cannot help but think back to twenty four years ago when Azog and his orcs killed my brothers and the others before taking the rest of us prisoner. I can relate to how the poor dwarves felt. So scared and waiting for death to come. . .I watched Mama, my sister and my friends die while Papa and I survived.

Balin's voice pull me from my thoughts. "We could try to reach the Mines. We might last a few days."

"No. I will not die like this. Cowering, clawing for breath. We make for the forges."

"He'll see us, sure as death." Dwalin points out.

"Not if we split up."

Balin looks hesitant. "Thorin, we'll never make it."

"Some of us might. Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon. If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together."

We all look at each other for a few moments before nodding in agreement. Thorin splits us off into groups. He, Balin and Bilbo together; then Dori, Ori and Bombur; Dwalin, Nori and I and finally Gloin and Bifur.

We all leave the room and go in different directions. Thorin, Balin and Bilbo run onto the bridge we were on earlier, Dori, Ori and Bombur on one below them, Dwalin, Nori and I go to one above them and Gloin and Bifur are below us.

"Are ye going to be able to keep up, lass?" Dwalin asks while eyeing my wound.

Even on three legs, I still manage to stand tall and growl affirmatively.

"Of course she can. She's strong, our Violet." Nori says fondly as he ruffles my head.

I just grin before hearing Smaug's voice.

"Flee, flee! Run for your lives! There is nowhere to hide."

Peeking through the doorway, I see Smaug go at Thorin, Balin and Bilbo, but he turns at another sound. Dori, Ori, and Bombur are running on another bridge and yelling to distract Smaug.

"Behind you! Wyrm!"

Smaug looks at them, then lunges toward them. They turn and run.

"Come on!"

As Smaug chases the second group, Thorin, Bilbo, and Balin continue across the bridge.

Dwalin, Nori and I run along the bridge, stopping halfway across for Dwalin to shout to the dragon.

"Hey you! Here!"

I also bark and howl to get his attention, which we do as Smaug turns and jumps at us. We run along the bridge and into a tunnel just before Smaug's claw lands where we were. I look back in time to see Smaug chasing after Gloin and Bifur.

"Come on, lass!" Dwalin yells out.

I turn and follow the two dwarves along halls and down stairs until we came across a very large room with several large furnaces. We stop and look around to see Thorin falling down a hole, Smaug close behind him.

"Thorin!" Dwalin yells worriedly as he looks into the hole.

Dwalin smashes his axe into the machinery holding the chain Thorin is holding on to, and the chain stops descending abruptly. Beside Dwalin, a heavy holding bucket on the other end of the same chain begins descending rapidly, causing Thorin's chain to fly upward. Thorin soars upward, narrowly missing Smaug's head. Smaug turns and manages to grab the end of Thorin's chain, stopping its movement. Smaug pulls down, at the machinery holding the chain at the top of the pit breaks free of its moorings and falls into the pit. The chain slacks, Thorin falls and lands right on the tip of Smaug's closed mouth.

'Thorin!' I yell out, which comes out in barks.

He stands on Smaug's top lip as Smaug growls and opens his mouth; fire is visibly rising up his neck. Just as Smaug snaps closed his mouth to eat Thorin, Thorin leaps to the side and grabs another chain. Smaug turns to bite him, but the falling machinery strikes him in the face.

Nori hits another machine, and its gears spin rapidly, pulling Thorin on his chain rapidly upward. Smaug roars and blows smoke straight up the pit after Thorin.

"Thorin!" Nori exclaims, reaching a hand out to him.

Thorin catches it and Nori pulls him onto the ledge just as the fire erupts beside him.

"Go! Go!"

Thorin and Nori run through narrow slits between tall, stone pillars and join the other dwarves, Bilbo and I as we are standing in front of the furnaces. Gloin and Bifur are still missing, but we know they'll be here soon.

I take this chance to turn back into my human form, allowing Dwalin to keep hold of me so I don't fall over while keeping weight off my left leg.

"The plan's not going to work. These furnaces are stone cold." Dwalin tells Thorin.

Balin nods. "He's right; we've no fire hot enough to set them ablaze."

The furnaces are all dark, with no sign of fire within. Thorin turns back toward the pit just as a growl came from it. Thorin goes to the pillars to taunt the dragon.

"Have we not? I did not look to see you so easily outwitted!"

Smaug's claw emerges from the pit, his body following it. Thorin continues taunting him.

"You have grown slow and fat in your dotage."

Smaug snarls at Thorin in anger.

"Slug."

As Smaug snarls and advances, Thorin gets behind a pillar and yells to the others to do the same.

"Take cover. Go!"

We all rush to the pillars, Dwalin pushing me against me and covering me with his body to protect me from the flames Smaug just unleashes. I bury my head into Dwalin's shoulder as I feel the heat and have to bit my lip to stop myself from crying out as I feel the agonizing heat on my calf.

"Thorin! Look!" I suddenly hear Dori.

As Smaug's fire stops, I look over Dwalin's shoulder and see fire coming out of the bottom of the furnaces and they begin glowing and working.

Smaug growls in confusion and anger. As we run from the pillars, Smaug begins battering at them with his head and claws. They are immensely strong, like a latticework of metal, but they begin to bend under Smaug's tremendous strength.

"Bombur! Get those bellows working. Go!" Thorin orders.

"Alright!"

Bombur runs and leaps onto a chain next to a forge. The chain slides down with his weight, and he lands on the handle of a massive bellows. The bellows compress and blast air into the furnace, which exhumes bright blue flames.

Thorin turns and sees the latticework continue to bend from Smaug's bashing.

"Bilbo! Violet! Up there, on my mark, pull that lever."

He points us toward a lever high up on a mound, and Bilbo runs toward it, I run after him as best as I can. After climbing the stairs and reaching the top, Bilbo gets me to sit down.

"How are you doing?" he asks me while checking my wound.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Let's just get ready for Thorin's command."

He nods and freezes as he looks behind me. Turning around, I see Smaug looking in our direction and stalking towards us. He then stops and looks to his left and starts growling as he sees Thorin standing there.

"Now!" Thorin yells.

I jump up and help Bilbo pull down on the lever just as Smaug lunges toward Thorin. Huge jets of water burst out of carved faces in the wall behind Bilbo and I and slam into Smaug, knocking him off balance and quenching the flames he was beginning to blow at Thorin, causing steam to rise up around us.

I breathe a sigh of relief as Smaug slides into the side of a furnace from the force of the water, and the glow in his chest disappears. Roaring in rage, Smaug flaps into the air and begins thrashing about madly. The jets of water cause a watermill to begin turning some gears, which causes the various rope conveyor belts to begin operating. Some of them are full of heavy chunks of rock and ore.

Bombur continues going up and down on his chain, pumping the bellows and turning the furnace fire blue. Atop the furnaces, I watch as the solid impure gold begins to glow and melt. Smaug begins crawling toward Thorin again. Above him, I breath a sigh of relief as I see Gloin and Bifur have arrived on the bucket conveyor belt.

Suddenly, there is a flash of blue light on the side of his head. Looking down, I see Balin, Ori, and Dori are throwing flash-flame bombs at Smaug, which don't seem to faze the dragon as he continues toward Thorin.

Above Smaug, Gloin raises his axe and cuts the rope of the conveyor belt full of heavy rocks below him, dropping tons of rocks on Smaug and making him fall to the ground, roaring.

The gold atop the furnaces is completely melted now. Thorin runs over to a furnace and pulls on a chain, opening a gate which allows the molten gold to flow out of the furnaces and through troughs built into the ground.

Smaug, tangled in the ropes of the conveyor belt, thrashes about and hits the rope of the conveyor belt Gloin and Bifur are in, breaking it and knocking it to the floor. Thankfully, they land on the ground unhurt. Beneath Smaug, rivers of molten gold flow through the troughs on the floor. Thorin turns and begins running, shouting back at the dwarves.

"Lead him to the Gallery of the Kings!" I hear Thorin yell out.

As Smaug thrashes about, one of the heavy metal buckets tangled on him goes flying toward Bilbo and I on top of the mound. Bilbo and I quickly duck out of the bucket but soon have to keep out balance as Smaug's tail smashes into the base of the mound, cracking it and worrying the both of us as the tower staggers slightly.

Thorin throws the wheelbarrow into a channel of gold and leaps into the wheelbarrow; it floats on the gold and is carried along. Seeing this, Smaug roars and whips his head around, finally getting rid of the ropes and buckets tangled around him. He stomps over to a small entrance at the base of the tower Bilbo and I are on where all the troughs of liquid gold join and lead out of the room.

Before he can get to Thorin however, the dwarf floats through the entrance on the wheelbarrow, just as the tower collapses and we both fall. I cry out in pain as I land hard on my leg before rolling away.

"Violet! Are you alright!?" Bilbo asks as he rushes over.

I nod as I stand, staggering slightly. We freeze as Smaug sees the both of us, snarling at us.

"Keep going, Bilbo! Violet! Run!" Thorin calls out to us.

Quickly shifting into wolf form, I toss Bilbo onto my back and run off, Smaug in pursuit. I leap onto a large stone slide, Bilbo holding into my fur as we hear the snap of Smaug's jaws right behind me as I evade him in time. Smaug also slides down after us, demolishing all the stone structures nearby with his wings.

Once we hit level ground, I run through a doorway and into a massive hall adorned with banners hundreds of feet tall, which I recognise as the Gallery of Kings. Just as we run in, the wall above the doorway explodes as Smaug jumps through it. I run frantically from the flying rocks, Bilbo gripping onto me. I suddenly drop as one of the banners falls on us, covering the both of us just as Smaug leaps to the floor and shouts angrily.

"You think you could deceive me, Barrel-rider?"

Bilbo and I peak out from the under the banner.

"You have come from Laketown. There is- is some sort of scheme hatched between these filthy dwarves and those miserable cup-trading Lakemen. Those sniveling cowards with their longbows and black arrows!"

Smaug is talking to himself, and his voice breaks in both anger and fear when he mentions the black arrows.

"Perhaps it is time I paid them a visit."

Smaug turns to go to Laketown, and I gasp at the same time as Bilbo as I realise Fili, Kili, Bofur and Oin are still there, along with the bargeman and his family. Bilbo scrambles out from under the banner and yells at Smaug.

"This isn't their fault! Wait! You cannot go to Laketown."

Hearing this, Smaug stops for a moment, then turns toward Bilbo, who is running after him, with me right behind.

"You _care_ about them, do you?" I step in front of Bilbo, growling as the dragon as he inches closer, so close I can feel his breath. "Good. Then you can watch them die."

Smaug turns and strides off down the hall.

"No. . .Kili. . ." I think in a panic, worrying for my love.

"Here, you witless wyrm!" Thorin's voice suddenly calls out from another end of the hall.

Smaug stops in his track, snarling and squinting in anger. He then turns toward Thorin.

 _"You."_

"I am taking back what you stole."

Smaug slowly stalks toward Thorin.

"You would take nothing from me, Dwarf. I laid low your warriors of old. I instilled terror in the hearts of men. I am King under the Mountain."

His head is level with Thorin now; who I see is standing on top of a tall stone structure. Bilbo and I watch from an adjoining hall, hiding behind a pillar.

"This is not your kingdom. These are dwarf lands, this is dwarf gold, and we will have our revenge."

As Thorin speaks, Smaug's chest and neck glow with fire, and Thorin slowly reaches up toward a rope above him. Just as Smaug opens his mouth, Thorin yells something in Khuzdul before he yanks on the rope, and a pin behind the stone falls out, releasing heavy wooden bands and chains that had been wrapped tightly around the stone. Smaug rears his head in confusion.

I see the other dwarves pull mightily on their chains, and more pins similar to the first are pulled out of the stone. The stone structure, which is now revealed to be the mold into which the liquid gold from earlier poured into, falls apart and reveals a massive statue of a dwarf king, made entirely out of solid gold. Thorin swings away on a rope to escape the falling rocks.

Smaug looks at the golden statue, which is even larger than him, in awe and desire. As he approaches it, his mouth opens slightly in greed. Suddenly, the gold around the statue's eyes warps and then explodes into liquid; the gold in the statue had not yet fully solidified, and the entire statue collapses and explodes into burning hot liquid.

Smaug roars in anger as the statue melts, and scrabbles backward to escape the gold. However, he cannot move fast enough and the tidal wave of gold hits him and knocks him over. As he roars, he is entirely smothered and drowned in the gold, which fills the entire hall in a layer several feet deep.

After a few moments, Smaug leaps out. He is entirely covered in gold, and he screams in anger and pain.

"Ahh! Revenge?! Revenge! I will show you REVENGE!"

As the dwarves, Bilbo and I look on in shock, Smaug runs down the hallway and takes off in flight. Running after him, I watch as he breaks through the great doors of Erebor. Running through, I see him spinning in the sky, causing the remaining gold on him to fall off in a golden shimmer. He then flies off toward Laketown.

Standing on some rocks away from Erebor, I watch in despair as he flies.

"I am fire. . .I am DEATH!" I hear Smaug say.

"What have we done?" Bilbo says from next to me.

Kili. . .

* * *

 **Well, there we have it. If all goes well, Kili and Violet should be reunited in the next chapter. . .or maybe the chapter after, I'm not too sure yet. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please stay tuned for the next one. Keep you lovely reviews coming, I love hearing from all of you! Xx**

 **Translations;**

 **Khozd!** **-** Dwarves!

 **Ekinskeld. Obguranid!** \- Oakenshield has gone!

 **Gur! Arangim!** \- Fall back! Regroup at the bridge!

 _Menno o nin na hon i eliad annen annin, hon leitho o ngurth._ \- May the blessing that was given to me be sent from me to him, may he be released from death.


	23. Reunion

**Woo! Next chapter up so soon! And here is Violet's and Kili's reunion! I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Review Responses;**

 **pallysdeeks – Being a toad. . .first time I've heard that, but I have to agree with you on that one! Violet will be fine, don't worry about her. She and Kili will reunite in this chapter, hope you enjoy xx**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** – Violet does watch the burning of Laketown and as for the ravens, as you'll find out, she's too worried about Kili to think about them.

 **CrystalVixen93** – Thank you! Glad you love it so! Here's the next chapter for you! Xx

* * *

 **Reunion**

In Laketown, Tauriel is standing outside of Bard's house, watching the sky ominously; with her elf-hearing, she can hear Smaug approaching and roaring. Suddenly, a huge shadow swoops overhead. Smaug has arrived.

Tauriel enters the house and prepares the dwarves and Bard's family to leave.

"We have no time. We must leave!"

"Get him up." Bofur says to Fili.

Fili instantly helps his brother to stand. "Come on, brother."

"Come on, come on! Let's go!"

"I'm fine - I can walk." Kili grumbles as he pulls away.

Tauriel helps Tilda with her coat. "As fast as you can."

Bain walks up to Tauriel. "We're not leaving. Not without our father."

"If you stay here, your sisters will die. Is that what your father would want?"

After a moment of them looking at each other, Bain sighs as he shakes his head before they all go down the stairs and get on a boat at the back of the house.

"Give me your hand." Fili says as he helps the girls.

"Come on, we gotta go!" Bofur exclaims.

"Quickly now! Hurry!" Tauriel calls as she gets on the boat and stands at the front.

"Kili, come on!" Fili yells out, said dwarf runs down and gets on the boat.

They set off down the canal, polling the boat through the floating chunks of ice. Smaug swoops low overhead, and the townspeople scream.

Smaug soars high above and away from the town, then turns and dives steeply toward the town, building up fire in his chest. As he gets over the town, he unleashes his flames, and he breathes his fire in a line all the way across the town. People scream and fall and die in the inferno. Smaug breathes fire over another section of the town; a man, on fire, falls out of his house and into the water.

"Look out!" Kili suddenly exclaims.

The small boat suddenly collides with the Master's boat, almost toppling them over. Tauriel holds her arm over the girls to keep them steady. Tauriel stares in disgust as she sees the Master's boat loaded with lots and lots of gold, not even bothering to help the people.

The dwarves manage to push their boat away and continue sailing down the river.

* * *

We have all gathered on Ravenhill as we watch the dragon attack Laketown, which now lights up the night with fire. I sit and watch the destruction, silent tears falling down my cheeks as I think about those innocent people who are dying because of what we have done. Bard tried to warn Thorin and the people of what would happen. . .we should have listened.

My thoughts also drift to our friends Bofur, Oin, Fili and. . .Kili. . .Kili is still down there injured as far as we know, he could easily be among the dead and this thought breaks my heart further.

"Poor souls." I hear Balin say from next to me as he and Bilbo are cleaning and wrapping my burn.

* * *

Tauriel hides the boat under an overhang until she sees that it's safe to go on. As they're traveling on, Bain suddenly shouts for his Da.

Looking up, they see Bard stood on the bell tower, firing arrows at the dragon.

"DA!" Tilda screams out.

As they all watch, Bard shoots yet another arrow, harmlessly hitting the dragon.

"He hit it! He hit the dragon!" Kili exclaims.

"No. . ." Tauriel says.

"He did! He hit his mark, I saw!"

"His arrows cannot pierce its hide; I fear nothing will."

Bain looks down disconsolately, then suddenly looks up and notices the state of the Master of Laketown, and below it, the boat in which he'd hidden the Black Arrow his father had asked him to keep safe. Bain's face turns to a determined look. As their boat passes under a hanging hook, Bain leaps up and grabs it, swinging clear of the boat. The others grab at him and miss, and they yell after him.

"What are you doing?!"

"Come back! Bain, come back!"

Bofur and Fili call out as they helplessly watch as Bain uses the hook and the crane it is attached to to swing to the dock, from where he runs toward the boat with the Black Arrow.

Tauriel stops the others from going for him. "Leave him! We cannot go back!"

"Bain!" Tilda cries once more before leaving him behind.

* * *

After what feels like an age, but could possibly be a few minutes, I watch as Smaug flies into the air and watch as he falls, not flies or swoops down, but fall. The sound of Smaug hitting the ground echoes throughout the land, and the ground shakes beneath us. The others all jump up in surprise.

"What was that? What happened?" Ori asks.

"It fell. I saw it." Bilbo replies as he stands next to me.

The others join us as we all peer out at the town in the early morning light.

"It's dead. Smaug is dead!"

"By my beard! I think he's right! Look there! The ravens of Erebor are returning to the mountain!" Gloin calls out.

Looking up, we see several birds can be seen cawing and approaching the Lonely Mountain.

"Aye - Word will spread. Before long every soul in Middle-earth will know - The dragon is dead!" Balin cheers, the others joining him, their joyful voices filling the air.

I do not join in their celebrating. . .how can I when it's not clear if the others made it. Closing my hand around Kili's rune stone, which Balin gave back, I hold it close to my chest, right where my heart is and close my eyes as another tear falls.

"Kili. . .please be alive. . .return to me soon, my love. . ." I say to myself.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I look up to see Bilbo standing behind me, a small smile on his face.

"He'll be back soon, you'll see. Him and the others. They'll come back to us."

I give him a small smile and squeeze his hand before looking back to Laketown for a while. We soon return to the mountain and begin by clearing a room for our use.

For the next few days we stay inside the mountain, doing what we can to make it somewhat livable for us. We have still not hear anything about the others, whether or not they survived and the more time that passes without us knowing, drives me further and further into thinking that maybe they didn't survive after all. . .

On the fifth day after Smaug's defeat, I return to the mountain from filling up our water-skins at the nearby river. Dwalin offered to accompany me, but I needed some time alone, which he thankfully gave to me. For the past few days, I have tried not to think about Kili much, but no matter what I do, he still comes into my thoughts.

As I walk through the halls, I hear the sounds of laughing and cheering from our room, I don't think much of it, thinking Bilbo has cracked another joke to try to lift up our moods, bless the hobbit. Not paying attention to what's around me, I walk into the room with my head lowered.

"Violet!" a familiar voice calls out.

I snap my head up and eyes go wide as I see the one dwarf I've been wanting to see for almost a week.

* * *

The morning after Smaug's death, the people of Laketown have gathered on the banks of the lake and are trying to salvage what they can. People are screaming and crying, and some of the wooden things are on fire. There are dead bodies washed up on the shore. Alfrid comes crawling up out of the water, screaming.

"Will somebody help me? HELP!"

He clambers over a dead body, only to realize that the person is still alive. Alfrid rolls over him into the water, screaming.

"HELP!"

Meanwhile, some of the survivors begin helping each other and salvaging whatever supplies they can. Tauriel, Sigrid, and Tilda walk about, looking for Bard, the children shouting for him. Alfrid screams up into the sky.

"WHY ME?"

There is still screaming and crying all about, as people pull the bodies of their loved ones out of the water and onto the shore. The dwarves, Oin, Bofur, and Fili, grab a boat and begin to push it out into the water. Kili approaches Tauriel.

"Tauriel."

"Kili, come on! We're leaving." Fili calls out.

"Just give me a minute!"

"They are your people, you must go." Tauriel says to him.

Kili nods. "Yes, and I will. But first, I just want to thank you, for saving my life. Without you. . .I would no doubt be dead right now."

Tauriel smiles. "You are welcome. I did not want to think of Violet being alone without you."

Kili grins at the thought of his beloved in the mountain. "Violet. . .she likes you, you know? I heard you both talking in the dungeons. I can tell she thinks of you as a close friend to her."

"As I do her."

Kili nods with a smile. "Once this is all over, I'll make sure you receive some compensation for saving my life and helping us get away from the dragon."

Tauriel shakes her head. "I require nothing. All that I ask, is you take care of Violet. She might put on a strong face, but I think beneath that, she's more vulnerable than she thinks."

Kili smiles wide. "Now that, I can do. I promise, I'll take good care of her." he looks back to the others who are ready to go before turning back to the elf. "I have to go. Take care of yourself, Tauriel."

Tauriel smiles. "And you."

Kili smile as he turns and gets into the boat, the four of them sailing across the lake.

* * *

Once they leave the boat, it takes the four dwarrow a few days walking until they finally reach the mountain. As they approach the gates, they stop in shock and fear as they see the destruction caused by Smaug as he smashed through the front gate to fly out of the mountain. They look at each other, then run into the halls of Erebor. Bofur calls out, his voice echoing in the silence.

"Hello! Bombur? Bifur? _Anybody_?" Bofur calls out.

[They clamber through the halls, looking for their kin. As they run down a staircase, Bilbo runs up toward them from another part of the city, calling out.

"WAIT! WAIT!"

"It's Bilbo! He's alive!" Oin exclaims in relief.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

They meet each other in a corridor.

"You need to leave. We all need to leave."

"We only just got here?!" Bofur points out.

"I have tried talking to him, but he won't listen."

"What do you mean, laddie?" Oin asks.

"THORIN." Bilbo shouts, causing the dwarves to jump. "Thorin. Thorin. He's been out there for days. He doesn't sleep. He barely eats. He's not been himself - not at all. It's this - It's this place. I think a sickness lies on it."

As Bilbo speaks, Fili looks past him and sees something that causes him to wrinkle his face in alarm.

"Sickness? What kind of sickness?" Kili asks, keeping his gaze on his brother.

Fili, not saying anything, walks past the group and starts heading further down into Erebor, looking at something.

"Fili. Fili. Fili!" Bilbo calls after him as he and the others follow.

As they continue heading down, a golden light begins to be visible on the walls. They round a corner, and stop short at the sight of Smaug's treasure, heaped so high over the floor of the cavern that the ground is barely visible. As they stare, they see Thorin, dressed in ornate robes and covered in jewelry, stride slowly out of a doorway. Thorin begins speaking softly, apparently to himself. He looks strange, almost possessed, and the dwarves look at him in surprise.

"Gold - Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief."

Thorin looks up and sees the others standing there. Fili looks to his uncle in dismay, not recognising the dwarf at all now and fear instantly fills him as he remembers the stories from his childhood.

"Behold - the great treasure hoard of Thror."

He suddenly flings something high into the air to where the dwarves are standing on a stairwell landing, and Fili catches it. It is a giant blood-red jewel.

"Welcome, my sister's sons, to the kingdom of EREBOR."

The newly-come dwarves enter the room where the other dwarves are.

"Balin!" Bofur calls out, seeing him and Dwalin sitting at a table.

Balin and Dwalin spin around, and seeing the four dwarves immediately jump up, cheering as they embrace them.

"Kili!" Nori yells out as he jumps down the stairs and hugging the young dwarf

Bombur rushes forward and hugs his brother Bofur. "Bombur!"

Bifur also joins in the embrace as Oin and Gloin reunite with each other.

Once Kili pulls away from the dwarves, he looks around the room but doesn't see Violet.

"Where's Violet?" he asks.

"She went to get some water, she'll be back soon." Dwalin explains, a rare smile on his face.

Kili nods as he chats with the others for a while, until he hears her footsteps along with the chain attached to her wrist. Smiling, he looks to the doorway and sees her walking around the corner, several water-skins in either hand and her head lowered. He instantly worries as she looks pale, paler than he's ever seen her and looks to have lost some weight since the last time they were together. He also spies a bandage on her leg.

"Violet!"

He watches as her head snaps up, her eyes going wide as they land on him.

* * *

"K-Kili. . ."

He's here. . .he's finally here and alive!

Letting out a choked sob, I drop the skins and run to him, we meet in the middle as he rushes to me, wrapping his arms around my waist as he lifts me from the ground. I wrap my own arms and legs around him as I hold him tight, my head in his shoulder as I sob in relief.

"It's okay now, Vi. . .I'm here." Kili soothes as he rubs my back.

After a few moments, he sets me on the ground and I instantly place my hands on his cheeks and through his hair, just making sure this isn't a dream. Kili's hands go onto the sides of my neck, his thumbs reaching up to wipe the tears from my face.

"Kili. . .you're back. . ."

He smiles that breath taking smile that usually has me weak at the knees.

"I told you I would return to you, did I not, **amralime**?"

I look to him in slight confusion, a smile still on my face. "I don't know what that means."

His smile gets wider as he leans his face closer. "I think you do."

I let out a giggle before he presses his lips against mine, his stubble tickling my face. I smile as I kiss him back, my hands going around his neck as I feel one of his slide down to my lower back to hold me close. I just sigh into the kiss, my heart and soul feeling so much lighter than it has the past week or so without him. Just know he's right by me is enough for me to feel safe once again.

Hearing someone clearing their throat, we break apart and I instantly blush as I see the others watching us. I bury my face into Kili's shoulder, I completely forgot they were still in the room with us.

"What exactly is going on here?" Dori asks, looking at us in disapproval.

I also forgot that Dori is an old fashioned dwarf, who does everything the proper way. . .proper way for dwarves at least.

"What does it look like, you dolt? They're kissing!" Nori says.

"I can see that, you idiot." Dori counters as he slaps Nori upside the head. "What I want to know is, why are they kissing?"

Kili clears his throat. "Well, I am kissing Violet, because she is my One."

That sentence is enough to have the others staring at us in shock and surprise, all except Balin and Bilbo, who already knew and are smiling, along with Fili who I am guessing also knew. Kili must have told him at some point, which I knew he would and can't exactly hold it against him.

"W-What did ye say lad? Violet is your. . .One?" Gloin asks.

Kili nods. "Yes. I realised it at Beorn's and talked to her about it. We decided to wait until we reclaimed Erebor before we officially started courting and I could give her a braid, which I suppose I can now."

I smile at him. Having been informed long before about the significance of braids and hair among dwarves, I honestly can't wait until I receive my first braid.

"And what does the lassie have to say?" Oin asks.

I just smile wide. "I may not know fully about the concept of Ones at the moment, but I can gather they're the alternative to the Soul Mates we develop. And I can honestly say that I know Kili is my Soul Mate."

"And him being a Prince won't have anything to do with it?" Dwalin asks.

Balin glares at his brother and slaps his arm at the question, but I stop Balin. I can understand his question. Women would say they like a Prince or a King just to gain control and higher standing. So, obviously I'm not offended by such a question.

I shake my head. "Prince. Miner. Fisherman. I do not care. He could have no craft and live in the middle of nowhere like Papa and I do and I would not care. I love Kili with all of my heart and soul, no matter what or who he is."

Kili smiles as he pulls me into him, kissing my head just before the others start cheering and embrace us, each of them giving us their congratulations. Once it's Fili's turn, I throw my arms around him and hold him close, just as relieved to see him alive as I am for Kili.

"Congratulations, **namad**." Fili says as he holds me.

" **Namad**. . .what does it mean?"

Fili pulls away and smiles. "It means, sister."

I smile wide at this, happy he thinks of me as his sister, as I think of him as brother.

"What is brother in your language?"

" **Nadad**. Or, for me, **sannadad**. Which is perfect brother."

I laugh at this, as do those that hear.

"Perfectly annoying brother, more like." Kili laughs as he wraps his arm around me.

I just smile and lean into Kili as I watch everyone talking again as if we haven't been separated for over a week or as if a dragon didn't destroy half of Laketown. It's at this point I realise that I may have lost most of my family before, and obviously I will never forget them, or abandon Papa, but I have found a new family in this group of dwarves, and I could not be any happier.

* * *

 **Well, there we have it. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please keep leaving your lovely reviews, love hearing from every one of you!**

 **Translations;**

 **Amralime** – My love

 **Namad** – Sister

 **Nadad** – Brother

 **Sannadad** – Perfect brother


	24. Madness

**Hey guys! Sorry this is later than usual, I've been ill past few weeks and things been going hectic at home, so not had the time to update until the other day. Please forgive me xx**

 **Review repsonses;**

 **pallysdeeks** \- :D! Yup, they're finally reunited, back together in time for all the madness to start!

* * *

Madness

In the middle of our celebrating, during which time Kili gives me a courting braid with one of his beads, Thorin enters the room and calls all the dwarves to the treasure hall to look for the Arkenstone. I sit on some stairs as I watch the dwarves comb through the piles of treasure.

"Any sign of it?!" Thorin asks.

"Nothing yet."

"Nothing here."

Ori answers, followed by his brother Nori.

"Keep searching!" Thorin orders.

"That jewel could be anywhere!" Oin points out.

"The Arkenstone is in these halls - find it!"

"You heard him - Keep looking!" Dwalin barks out.

"All of you - No one rests until it is found!"

I see movement out of the corner of my eye and spy Bilbo walking out of the hall. Letting Kili know I'm going for a walk, I follow after him. Seeing him sit on the battlements, I walk up the stairs to see him sat on some stone, Arkenstone in hand.

"You managed to pick it up then." I say, causing him to jump slightly.

He visibly relaxes when he sees it's just me and nods. "Just before Smaug released his fire at us."

I look to him. "Just after you vanished."

He gives a sheepish and apologetic smile before looking back to the stone. "I was just remembering what Smaug said to us; 'I am almost tempted to let you take it, if only to see Oakenshield suffer, watch it destroy him.'"

"'Watch it corrupt his heart and drive him mad. . .'" I finish, also remembering those words. I take the stone from Bilbo and hold the smooth, cool gem in my hands, watching the colours swirl around each other. "I fear some kind of madness has already started. . .Thorin didn't seem to acknowledge the return of Fili and Kili, but yet we were overjoyed at seeing them, Bofur and Oin. I don't know what's going to happen now, but I know I don't like it."

Bilbo nods in agreement as I return the stone to him.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, the dwarves spend most of their time locked away in the golden halls by Thorin, looking endlessly for the Arkenstone, only Bilbo and I knowing that it won't be found by them. During the rare moments Kili and I get to spend alone together, he confides in me his worries about Thorin. I just hold him close, not knowing anything else I can do to help reassure him, for I had no idea what was going to happen, or whether Thorin would eventually get better. I just prayed to both Yavana and Mahal that everything will be well again.

* * *

On one day, late into the week, the dwarves and I are huddled in the main hall, Thorin in council with Balin, Dwalin and Bilbo. I'm sitting in between Fili and Kili, the three of us talking quietly when I see Balin and Dwalin enter, but only Dwalin stays. Looking to Balin, even from where I am sat, I can see he has a distraught expression running across his face as he leaves without looking at any of us. Excusing myself from Fili and Kili, I get up and follow him, concern running through me for the old dwarf, the one I see as a grandfatherly figure.

I follow him into what appears to be a library, many books scattered on the dusty floor, shelves covered in dust and cobwebs. Even though the room is full of dust and webs, I can tell this room was just as grand as any other in the mountain and would become truly beautiful once again.

Hearing quiet sobs and sniffling from the back of the library, I follow the sounds and find Balin in what I think to be the records room as there are many books and scrolls lining the shelves. Looking to Balin, I see his back to me and his shoulders start shaking with sobs. Hearing footsteps from behind, I turn to see Bilbo has joined me. I now know that something has happened with Thorin and my worry instantly grows.

Hearing the both of us, Balin glances back to us.

"Dragon-sickness - I've seen it before." he turns to face us fully as we walk over to him. "That look. That terrible need. It is a fierce and jealous love, Bilbo. It sent his grandfather mad."

"Balin, if-if Thorin. . .had the Arkenstone. . ."

Bilbo slightly cocks his head, and Balin looks to the hobbit in surprise, understanding Bilbo's implication. He has the Arkentstone. I glance at Balin in worry.

". . .if it was found - Would it help?"

"That stone crowns all. It is the summit of this great wealth, bestowing power upon he who bears it. Will it stay his madness? No, lad; I fear it would make it worse. Perhaps it is best that it remains lost."

Balin raises his eyebrows at Bilbo, and I take that look to mean; keep it secret, keep it safe. The three of us leave, Bilbo going in one direction and Balin and I heading back to the main hall.

"Did you know lass?" Balin asks me, keeping his voice down.

"I've known for a few days. We didn't tell anyone because we were scared of what would happen."

Balin shakes his head. "No, you did well to keep it secret. Like I said, If he had the stone, I fear it would make it worse."

I nod as we continue walking and soon arrive in the hall.

* * *

Late that night, after being informed the refugees of Lake Town have arrived in Dale, Thorin orders everyone to block up the entrance Smaug crashed through.

The dwarves carry rocks of all sizes by hand and with the help of various pullets and other machines they have made.

Kili, Bilbo and I come back into the hall, pushing and pulling a cart full of rocks.

"I want this fortress made safe by sun-up. This mountain was hard won - I will not see it taken again." Thorin orders.

Kili drops the end of the cart he's pulling as he looks to his uncle. "The people of Laketown have nothing. They came to us in need. They have lost everything."

"Do not tell me what _they_ have lost. I know well enough their hardship. Those who have lived through dragonfire should rejoice. They have much to be grateful for."

Thorin looks out at the city of Dale, where many fires can be seen lit by the people. He then turns and shouts to us.

"More stone! BRING MORE STONE TO THE GATE!"

Kili takes my hand and pulls me along as we continue with helping. Looking back to Bilbo, I see him looking on in despair, a look I know is plastered on my face as well.

A few hours later, well late into the night, the wall is finally finished. It's been built up to fifty feet in height. As I look to the wall, a feeling of dread fills my entire being. I know things are going to only get worse from here, and there's nothing I can do to help. I just hope that we all make it out of this alive.

* * *

Early the next morning, I am woking up by Thorin calling everyone to the gate. Following, I stand between Fili and Kili at the top and as I look towards Dale, I see an army of elves in golden armour lining the walls, staring at the mountain.

Hearing the sound of hooves, I look down and smile in relief as I see Bard riding towards us. I grip Kili's arm.

"He made it. . ." I mutter, causing him to smile to me in relief.

Bard stops in front of the gate, just beyond the bridge.

"Hail Thorin, son of Thrain! We are glad to find you alive beyond hope."

"Why do come to the gates of the king under the mountain armed for war?"

"Why does the king under the mountain fence himself in? Like a robber in his hole."

"Perhaps it is because I am expecting to be robbed."

"My lord - We have not come to rob you, but to seek fair settlement. Will you not speak with me?"

Thorin nods, and steps away from the platform and down the stairs. As we follow him, I see him talking to a black raven before sending it off, the bird cawing loudly as it flies out of the mountain. Thorin strides up to a hole in the blockade.

"I'm listening."

"On behalf of the people of Laketown, I ask that you honor your pledge. A share of the treasure so that they might rebuild their lives."

"I will not treat with any man while an armed host lies before my door."

"That armed host will attack this mountain, if we do not come to terms."

"Your threats do not sway me."

"What of your conscience? Does it not tell you our cause is just?! My people offered you help. And in return you brought upon them only ruin and death!"

"When did the men of Laketown come to our aid, but for the promise of rich reward?!"

"A bargain was struck!"

"A bargain? What choice did we have but to barter our birthright for blankets and food? To ransom our future in exchange for our freedom? You call that a fair trade? Tell me, Bard the Dragonslayer. . .Why should I honor such terms?"

"Because you gave us your word. Does that mean nothing?"

Thorin turns away from the hole, disappearing from Bard's view. He leans back against the blockade and for a moment he looks tired and weary. He then looks to us all, who have gathered together and are standing watching him. He shouts back to Bard.

"Be gone, ere arrow fly!"

I hear Bard slap the rock angrily, before he mounts his horse and rides back to Dale. We watch him go from the top of the platform.

"What are you doing?! You cannot go to war." Bilbo suddenly shouts to Thorin.

"This does not concern you."

"Excuse me?! But just in case you haven't noticed, there is an army of elves out there. And not to mention several hundred angry fishermen. We-We are in fact outnumbered."

Thorin turns to look at Bilbo, smiling.

"Not for much longer."

"What does that mean?"

"It means Master Baggins, you should never underestimate dwarves."

Thorin turns to the whole group.

"We have reclaimed Erebor - Now we defend it!"

As Thorin strides down the steps, Bilbo, Balin and I glance at each other, all of us looking distressed. I just turn to look to Dale as some of the dwarves tear off one of the stone heads of the statues to break the bridge, stopping anyone from reaching the mountain.

* * *

 **Well, there we have it. The beginning of Thorin's madness. The next chapter begins the battle. Stay tuned for it and please keep your lovely reviews coming x**


	25. Author Note

**Hey guys.**

 **Got a bit of bad news im afraid. I'm going to be taking a break from the stories for a while. I'm going through a few stressful things at home which are making me ill physically and mentally and it's affecting my writing. I'm sorry to do this as I know a lot of you have been waiting a long time for a lot of these chapters to be finally updated, which I do apologise for. I don't know when I'll be back, hopefully it won't be too long. I'm sorry again, and thank you to those rhat have been staying with me through all of this. I love you all so much**

 **Xxxx**


	26. A Vow Made

**Hey there all! I'm back! Still got slight illness, but it's a LOT better than it has been, so I can hopefully keep on top of my writing. I want to thank everyone for all the support and get well wishes you have sent me, it has really helped me to recover and wanting to come back and update for you all. As a thank you for your concern and patience, at the end of the chapter, I will be adding a couple of lines as a sneak peek for the next chapter, to keep you all in suspense ;-D. It's quite a small chapter, so hope the sneak peek makes up for it!**

 **Review Responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier (for chapter 24)** – You will have to find out what happens in the next chapter, as the battle will begin then xx

 **pallysdeeks (for chapter 24)** – Oh yes, Thorin has well and truly gone. Don't worry, Violet and Kili will get to spend some private time together before it all kicks off.

 **MonkeyGirl13 (for chapter 24)** – I'm glad you're loving this!

 **CrystalVixen93 (for chapter 24** ) – I'm glad you love this story, here is the next chapter!

 **Reading Melody (for chapter 1)** – I'm glad you are enjoying this so far and hope you continue to do so as you read on!

 **CrystalVixen93, MonkeyGirl13, misslesmis13, kaia, UniKatFox –** Thank you all for your get well messages! They really meant a lot to me and I am so grateful to you for sticking with me!

* * *

 **A Vow Made**

The next day, Thorin gets all of us into the armoury to prepare ourselves for battle. I just stand back and watch as the dwarves arm themselves with weapons and strapping on heavy armour.

"Not getting anything, lass?" Nori asks as he notices me standing there.

I just smile. "I really doubt you have any armour to fit a wolf there. Especially one that's Warg size."

This causes some of the dwarves to chuckle before Bofur turns to me with a look of worry on his face.

"You're not going to have any protection?"

Fili speaks up before I can. "She already has it. Kili and I will protect her."

I just grin at both brothers and they grin back before continuing with preparations.

"Master Baggins, come here!" I suddenly hear Thorin calling out.

Looking to the entrance, I see him standing there in full armour and Bilbo walking towards him. Thorin holds up a tunic of white mail.

"You are going to need this. Put it on."

Bilbo begins removing his jacket.

"This vest is made of silver steel - _"Mithril"_ it was called by my forebears."

Thorin holds it up so that Bilbo can slide into it.

"No blade can pierce it."

Bilbo finishes putting it on, then looks at himself; out of the corner of my eye, I can see the other dwarves have stopped to watch him as well.

"I look absurd. I'm not a warrior; I'm a Hobbit."

"It is a gift. A token of our friendship. True friends are hard to come by."

I can hear the smile in his voice, but as he looks towards the rest of us, he frowns. He then grabs Bilbo by the shoulder and pulls him away where the other dwarves can't hear him, but I still can.

"I have been blind. Now I begin to see. I am betrayed!"

"Betrayed?"

"The Arkenstone."

I look up nervously at this as I see Thorin moving closer to him, Bilbo looks extremely uncomfortable and worried. Thorin whispers to Bilbo.

"One of them has taken it."

Bilbo almost sighs audibly in relief. I also internally sigh in relief, but then dread fills me as the realisation to his words hit me. He thinks one of his own kin, or me, has taken it.

"One of them is false."

"Thorin. . .the quest is fulfilled. You've won the mountain. Is that not enough?"

"Betrayed by my own kin and the wolf."

"No eh. . .You. . .You made a promise. . .to the people of Laketown. Is-Is this treasure truly worth more than your honor? _Our_ honor, Thorin. I was also there, I gave my word."

"For that I'm grateful. It was nobly done. But the treasure in this mountain does not belong to the _people of Laketown_! This gold. . .is ours. . .and ours alone. By my life I will not part with a single coin! Not. . .one. . .piece of it!"

I snap my head up at those last words. I did notice his voice growing deeper and more like Smaug's, but the last five words. . .those were the exact same words Smaug had spoken to Bilbo and I before. It is just as I feared. . .just as Smaug said, the Arkenstone has mentally affected him. I see Bilbo staring at him in shock as the others dwarves stride by, dressed for battle. Thorin follows after them, leaving Bilbo and I alone.

I walk over to Bilbo who is staring in the direction Thorin walked off too.

"This is getting out of hand."

"It is. . .that was not Thorin talking, that was Smaug."

I nod. "I know. . .what do we do? What can we do?"

Bilbo doesn't say anything for a while before he answers; "I have an idea. . ."

I turn to him. "What is it?"

He looks to me for a moment but then shakes his head. "No, I won't tell you. Not with your relationship with Kili. I won't do anything to jeopardize it."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to go through this alone and get into a lot of trouble."

He nods. "I'm sure. You go to Kili and I'll get started on my idea."

I nod and walk away after embracing him and kissing his cheek.

Walking through Erebor, I soon find Kili in a room on his own. I will admit, he looks very handsome in the armour he is wearing. His chest plate shining silver, the glow of the fire reflecting off the surface.

"What are you doing here alone?" I ask him, wondering why he isn't with his brother.

He looks over and smiles as he sees me. "Just getting some alone time."

I take a step back towards the door. "Would you like me to leave?"

He reaches out and take my hand, pulling me more inside as he shakes his head. "No. I could never deny your company."

We take a seat on a nearby bench and I watch him as he just looks to the floor. I can see the thoughts whirring around inside his head.

"What is wrong?"

He looks to me. "What makes you think there is something wrong?"

I just give him a look as if to say; "Do you have to ask?"

He grins before sighing as he looks away. "Thorin. I just. . .I don't understand why he is doing all of this. The people of Laketown have nothing. . .Smaug destroyed everything they had. . .we should be helping them not trying to start a war with them."

I take his hand, linking my fingers with his own as I speak. "The other day, Balin told me about a sickness King Thror had. A sickness of the mind; Dragon Sickness, he called it. I made him have a jealous need for the gold, which sent him mad. He believes, as do I, Thorin is developing the same sickness."

Kili looks to me at this. "Sickness. . .Bilbo mentioned something about a sickness when we first arrived here. . .yes. . .I am beginning to see it. The Thorin I know would not be like this. . .he himself has gone through this before. Smaug came here, destroying and killing everything in his path, forcing those to survive to flee. . ."

I nod. "Yes, I know. I think if he didn't have this sickness, Thorin would show more compassion and sympathy, jumping to the aid of those in Dale. But the sickness is clouding his judgement, making him think of nothing but the gold and the Arkenstone."

He looks away again, but when he does, I can see the tears welling up in his eyes. Frowning, I sit closer to him, laying my head on his armoured shoulder. He lays his head on top of mine as he speaks, I hear the emotion running through his voice, which breaks my heart to hear.

"For the past few days, I have often wished that we never set out on this journey. If we hadn't, then Thorin would not be like this, I could still look at him as the dwarf I have always looked up too, the one I see as a father figure. But then I think about you." he looks to me at this and my breath catches in my throat as I see the pure love in his eyes. "If we hadn't started on this journey, then I would never have met you. The one woman who made me look and take notice with just a glance. The one who has taken my heart for her own. I truly do not know what I would do if I did not have you in my life, Violet. I do not ever want to be parted from you."

I smile as I place a hand on his cheek. "And we never will. Before I met you, I felt as though my life had no meaning. Of course, I had my father and little Estel, but the one thing I wanted and thought I could never have was love. My eye would always scare any man that I would meet, but then I met you. I have never felt the way I do now with anyone else before, and I don't intend on losing that feeling."

He smiles as he reaches up and takes my courting braid in his hand, giving it a gentle tug towards him, pulling me closer. "I'm very happy to hear you say that. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but if war is upon us, we could. . ."

I raise my hand and touch my fingers to his lips to silence him. "Shh. Let's not speak of that tonight. There is no need to speak of war, not now."

He grins as he kisses my fingertips before taking the hand into his own. "You are right, why speak of that when we can just live in this moment. When we have each other right here and now."

Placing a hand on the side of my neck, I smile as he pulls me closer and our lips meet in a tender and loving kiss. Although I do love his idea of living in the now, he is also right on how war could easily come tomorrow. The both of us could lose our lives in battle. But I make a vow to myself not to let that happen. I would make sure Kili survives through this, even if that means putting myself in harms way, I will gladly do that so that I can save him. I could not save my mother, siblings or my friends, but I will defend my love with my dying breath. Kili will not die on my watch, nor will any of the others, this I swear.

* * *

 **Awww! Well, there we have it. Violet and Kili finally get a moment together before the battle begins and they are truly tested. As promised, here is the two line sneak peek for you all!**

~ Before any of us can do anything, he whips out his dagger and cuts the braid from my head.

"NO!" Kili cries out in anguish, the others letting out noises of shock and disblief. ~


	27. The Beginnings of War

**Hey all! Next chapter all ready for upload! Gotta say my little sneak peek didn't get noticed like I had hoped :(. Oh well, it'll be in this chapter anyway, hope you all enjoy! Xx**

 **Review Responses;**

 **misslesmis13** – Thank you!

 **Pallysdeeks** – Yup. He is too far gone. . .he'll pull through soon though. And Kili is alive for now. . .

 **mchurch1992** – The beginning is quite sad, but had to put a nice ending and let Vi and Kee have some time alone before the big battle :D

* * *

 **The Beginnings of War**

The next morning, I see myself standing on the ramparts with the others, the elven army and the men have already gathered in the plains between Dale and Erebor. Thranduil and Bard ride together to the front of the armies and approach their of the broken bridge over the moat. Thorin draws a bow and shoots an arrow at the ground directly in front of Thranduil and Bard, who immediately halt in surprise.

"I will put the next one between your eyes!"

Thorin draws his bow again, and the dwarves on the wall cheer and shake their weapons. Thranduil stares at Thorin angrily, then slightly tilts his head. Instantly, several rows of Elves near the front of the army pull out their bows, nock their arrows, and aim at the dwarves, all in one fluid motion. The dwarves' cheering cuts off abruptly as all of them but Thorin duck behind the ramparts. I also don't move as I watch the Elven and Dwarf King stare each other down. After a few tense seconds, Thranduil raises his hand, and the elves easily put away their arrows. Thorin still has his bow drawn, though.

"We've come to tell you: payment of your debt has been offered. . .and accepted." Thranduil informs Thorin.

"What payment? I gave you nothing! You have nothing!"

As Thranduil looks to Bard, a terrible thought enters my mind. The plan Bilbo spoke of the night before. . .he could not possibly have meant. . .

"We have this."

Bard confirms my fears as he reaches into his coat and pulls out the Arkenstone, holding it above his head. Thorin lowers his bow in shock.

"They have the Arkenstone? Thieves! How came you by the heirloom of our house? That stone belongs to the king!" Kili yells out to the man.

"And the king may have it - in our good will." Bard tucks the Arkenstone back into his coat after tossing it into the air. "But first he must honour his word."

"They are taking us for fools. This is a ruse, a filthy lie."

Out of the corner of my eye, I Balin looking to Thorin in shock. Shock that his mental state has deteriorated to the point at which he would even consider this. I agree with his shock. Balin told Bilbo and I himself there's only one Arkenstone. Thorin then yells out.

"THE ARKENSTONE IS IN THIS MOUNTAIN! IT IS A TRICK!"

"It-It's no trick. The stone is real. I gave it to them." Bilbo's quiet voice speaks up nervously.

As Bilbo speaks, Thorin's expression changes to a mixture of sorrow and anger. Thorin and the other dwarves look at Bilbo in shock. I just look to the hobbit in worry. I have no idea what Thorin could do in the state he is in now. . .but I know it won't be good.

"You. . ."

"I took it as my fourteenth share."

"You would steal from me?"

"Steal from you? No. No. I may be a burglar, but I like to think I'm an honest one. I'm willing to let it stand against my claim."

"Against your claim?! Your claim! You have no claim over me you miserable rat!"

Thorin throws down his bow in anger and begins walking toward Bilbo. I move to stand with Bilbo but Kili holds me back.

"I was going to give it to you. Many times I wanted to, but. . ."

"But what, thief?!"

"You are changed, Thorin! The dwarf I met in Bag End would never have gone back on his word! Would never have doubted the loyalty of his kin!"

"Do not speak to me. . .of loyalty!" he then shouts to the rest of us. "Throw him from the rampart!"

Bilbo looks to him in shock. My eyes go wide as I turn to the dwarf. Throw him from the rampart!? How could he suggest we do such a thing!? The other dwarves, rather than obeying Thorin, step away from Bilbo in confusion. Thorin is surprised that no one obeys him.

"DO YOU HEAR ME?!" Thorin grabs Fili's arm, but Fili shakes him away.

"I will do it myself!"

He lunges forward and grabs Bilbo, shouting.

"CURSE YOU!"

"No!" Fili shouts.

"Cursed be the Wizard that forced you on this Company!"

As Thorin struggles with Bilbo, the other dwarves and I leap forward, shouting, trying to pull Thorin away. Thorin manages to grab Bilbo and begins pushing him over the rampart. I am about to turn into my wolf form to force him off when Gandalf's voice booms out.

"IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY BURGLAR. . ." His voice returns to a normal volume and tone. "Then please don't damage him. Return him to me! You're not making a very splendid figure as king under the mountain, are you? Thorin son of Thrain!"

Thorin slowly lets go of the hobbit, making him drop to the floor. Fili, Bofur and I help him up.

"Never again will I have dealings with wizards. . ."

Bofur gently pushes Bilbo toward the rope he'd hung the night before to climb down the walls.

"Go."

"Or Shire-rats!"

I stand by the wall as Bilbo throws his coiled rope over the wall and clambers down. I lean over and watch as he make it safely to the ground. Bofur and I exchange a look of relief and worry before joining the others, Kili taking my hand.

"Are we resolved? The return of the Arkenstone for what was promised." Bard speaks up.

Thorin looks out to the hill to our left as if searching for something.

"Why should I buy back, that which is rightfully mine!"

Thranduil turns to Bard. "Keep the stone, sell it. Ecthelion of Gondor will give you a good price for it."

"I would kill you! By my oath I would kill you all!"

"Your oath means nothing! I have heard enough!"

He shouts something to his elves and they all aim their arrows at us.

Gandalf walks closer to us. "Thorin, lay down your arms. Open these doors. This treasure will be your death."

I look up and see Balin stand next to him. "Thorin, we cannot win this fight."

Looking to Thorin, I see him looking down, disheartened and defeated.

"Give us your answer! Will you have peace or war?" Bard asks.

We watch as a raven flies and lands on the stone in front of him, cawing away. I cannot understand what he is saying, but it must have been something good as Thorin's eyes widen in hope and relief.

"I will have war."

I look to the hill as I hear a rumbling sound to see an army appearing over the ridge. The troops are heavily armoured dwarves, lead by a huge dwarf riding a battle pig.

 _"Ribo i thangail!"_ Thranduil calls out.

The elves turn away from Erebor and begin marching quickly towards approaching army, the men behind them. The dwarves stop just over the hill while the dwarf continues riding towards those of the ground.

"Hey, Thorin! Ironfoot has come!" the leader calls out, making the dwarves by me all cheer.

"Who is that?" I ask Kili.

"That's Dain, Lord of the Ironhills. He is our cousin."

I internally groan. Great. That's all we need. More elf hating dwarves.

Dain rides his pig onto a rocky overlook to address the Elves and Men, who have stopped.

"Good morning! How are we all? I have a wee proposition, if ye wouldn't mind giving me a few moments of yer time. Would ye consider. . just sodding off!"

The mean and woman, clutching their weapons, step back in fear, while the Elves pull out their swords and step forward.

"All of you - right now!"

"Stand fast!" Bard calls out to his people.

Gandalf strides forward. "Come now, lord Dain!"

Dain looks to the wizard. "Gandalf the Grey. Tell this rabble to leave, or I'll water the ground with their blood!"

"There is no need for war between dwarves, men and elves! A legion of orcs march on the mountain. Stand your army down!"

Orcs. . .A legion of orcs marching towards us? Then why are we fighting among ourselves when we should concentrate on those filth?

"I will not stand down before any elf! Not least this faithless woodland sprite!"

He gestures toward Thranduil, who looks angry.

"He wishes nothing but ill upon my people! If he chooses to stand between me and my kin - I'll split his pretty head open! See if he's still smirking then!"

Dain turns and rides towards his men.

"Dain, wait!"

"Let them advance, see how far they get." I hear Thranduil say.

"Do you think I give a dead dog for your threats, your pointy-eared princess! Ya hear that lads!? We're on! Let's give these bastards a good hammering!" Dain yells out as he reaches his dwarves. "Send in the goats!"

The dwarves part to allow mounted rams through, charging towards the elves.

 _"Ribo i thangail!."_

The elves prepare their bows to fire.

"Thranduil! This is madness!" Gandalf shouts out.

Thranduil gives the order and the arrows soar towards the dwarves. Dain shouts out an order and just over half a dozen twirling bolts flew through the air, cut the arrows and landed in the middle of the elves. When they do land, the force of the land sent the elves flying back, maimed or dead no one knew.

Dain laughs. "How do you like that, the old twirley-whirlies? Ha, ha, you buggers!"

Thranduil gave the order to fire again, but ending up with the same result. The rams get closer as the elves perform a complicated manoeuvre to put their shield-and-spear bearers at the front of the army, while the archers stand behind them, just as their rams run up their shields and into the army of elves, thus beginning the battle between elves and dwarves. Dain charges in on his pig, the foot soldiers just behind. I just watch as the elves and dwarves fight. Many already having blood spilt as they die, and for what? A few meaningless coins?

As they fight, a rumbling is heard at the base of a spur of the mountain. The armies stop fighting and grow silent as they turn to look. On the gates, we also look around, wondering what is causing the sound.

All of a sudden, giant worm-like creature burst out from the base of the mountain near Ravenhill. Their mouths are essentially giant drilling machines, strong enough to crush the toughest rocks in their jaws. Everyone looks on in shock as they retreat back into the holes.

"Oh, come on!" I hear Dain call out.

On top of Ravenhill, are several massive contraptions made of wood, rope, and cloth meant as signalling devices. I also see Azog standing by the contraptions as he commands the few orcs with him.

One of the wooden structures opens up in a particular position, and a horn sounds. Immediately, legions of orcs begin pouring out of the tunnels. There must be thousands or orcs just pouring out onto the fields.

"The hordes of hell are upon us! To battle! To battle, sons of Durin!" Dain calls out.

Dain and part of his army turn and rush toward the oncoming orcs.

"I'm going over the wall! Who's coming with me?" Fili speaks up.

The other dwarves and I cheer, all of us in agreement and we prepare to climb down.

"Stand down!"

We turn to Thorin as he gives the order, beginning to make his way back inside.

"What? Are we to do nothing?"

"I said STAND DOWN!"

As Thorin walks away, the others look on in shock and surprise. I look back to the field to see the dwarves running across the plain towards the advancing orcs. The elves do nothing while the dwarves stop running, and create a shield wall with their massive spears pointed outward, lead by the chants of the leader. After a few moments, the elves charge forward, jumping over the wall of dwarves and fight the oncoming orcs, the dwarves joining in. I stand and watch as the fight continues, the lives of the elves and dwarves at risk and what are we doing? Just standing here, watching it all happen, because one dwarf has lost his mind.

Such anger and determination fills me like nothing I have felt before as I turn and run down the stairs, Kili shouting after me as I run to the dwarven king, standing in front of him to block his path. He stops as he looks to me in surprise.

"Get out of my way, wolf." he growls to me.

"What are you doing? Thorin, your people are out there fighting your battles, losing their lives for you! Are you really just going to stand back and do nothing? Is gold worth so much more than that of your people? So much so that you are willing to hide away while your kin die?"

He scowls at me calling him a coward. "I would not expect you, a lowly Skin-Changer, to understand."

I admit, that insult hurt, but I push my feelings aside. "Lowly Skin-Changer I may be, but at least I know that nothing is more important than kin. I could not save my kin, which pains me so that you are willing to stay back while yours are dying."

He just scoffs as he steps around me and walks on. I sigh as I look down.

"I never realised how alike you and Thranduil really are."

I can practically feel the temperature drop dramatically as Thorin halts in his steps.

"What did you say?" Thorin asks, sounding dangerous.

I do not back down as I turn to face him, his thunderous expressing pinned on me.

"He was your ally once, didn't he abandon you when you needed him the most. When Smaug had driven you out of here, did he not just stand by and do nothing, watching it happen, watching all the needless deaths. Are you not guilty of doing the same thing? Just standing by as your people, your kin, die in battle?"

Before I can say anymore, Thorin grabs my throat and pins me up against a wall. I grip his arm, trying to get him to let go as his hand becomes tigher.

"You will be silent! How dare you compare me to that _elf!_ I have never, nor will I ever be like him!"

As he stops talking, I notice his gaze drifing towards the courting braid, his eyes growing darker as he sees the bead.

"A courting braid? Who gave that to you?"

It is at the moment the others run over, probably after hearing Thorin shouting.

"Violet! Let her go, Thorin!" Kili calls out, his eyes filling with anger.

After glancing at his nephew and realising he is the one to gift me with the braid, he sneers at me.

"You really thought I would accept you among us? That you would be worthy enough to court a Son of Durin?" He shakes his head. "No. You are nothing but a lowly wolf."

Before any of us can do anything, he whips out his dagger and cuts the braid from my head.

"NO!" Kili cries out in anguish, the others letting out noises of shock and disblief.

I just look at Thorin in shock and heartache as he holds the braid, bead still attached. For just a second, a split second, I see his eyes flash with shock and disbelief, as if he cannot believe what he has done. But that is soon replaced by the sneer he held moments before.

Flinging his arm out, he tosses me away, a clang ringing through the halls from my manacle as I hit the ground, taking in deep breaths of air now I have been released. Feeling arms around me, I look up to see Kili lifting me to him, holding me close. Looking back to Thorin, I see him looking at me in disgust, still clinging the braid in his hand as he steps away.

"You will _never_ be one of us." he then turns and leaves us.

Kili gives me words of comfort as Oin checks me over for injuries, but I hardly pay them any attention and Thorin's words vibrate in my head.

"You are just a lowly wolf." "You will _never_ be one of us."

Is he right? Am I really unworthy of Kili's love?

As if he's reading my thoughts, Kili takes my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. His face now blurry thanks to my tearful eyes.

"Violet, do not listen to anything Thorin said. You are not unworthy, or just a lowly wolf, you are much more than that. I love you, Violet, and nothing nor no one is going to stop us. Not Thorin, not my mother, no one. I am not going to leave you. I promise."

I slowly nod as he repeats the words we spoke to each other last night, our promise to never leave each other. I wrap my arms around him as he holds me close, both of us just holding each other as the battle rages on outside.

* * *

 **Well, there we have it, a few stumbles in their relationships, but let's hope they can get through this together. Please keep your reviews coming, I love hearing from you all xx**

 **Translations;**

" _Ribo i thangail!"_ \- Rush the shield-fence!


	28. Into Battle We Go

**Hey there guys! A bit late out with this one, but not by choice. Laptop's been a bit weird on me so couldn't get it to work properly, plus things at home going dodgy again. I hope you all forgive me xx**

 **Review Responses;**

 **pallysdeeks –** Wankertwat. . .another new one lol! But yes, Thorin is one of them, but he begs for forgivness in this chapter and everything becomes alright.

 **Mchurch1992** – I think your hearts going to suffer a bit more in this one, and I'm sorry for the end!

* * *

 **Into Battle We Go**

For the next few hours, the dwarves and I stay in the entrance hall, beside the blocked up hole in the wall as we listen to the chaos happening out on the plains. Kili keeps as close to me as he can after what happened between Thorin and I, trying to comfort and reassure me everything will be alright. Fili also stays close, having been as furious as Kili was when Thorin severed my braid. Many of the others gave me sympathetic faces and reassuring pats, Balin being the exception who embraced me as an uncle would his niece, which I appreciated.

Dwalin returned not long ago from trying to talk Thorin out of the sickness, but to no avail. Even going as far as to threaten to kill Dwalin. I close my eyes as I bury my head into Kili's chest, which is now free from heavy armour, as are the others, thinking that we've lost Thorin for good. We're not going to get out of this alive. Kili grips my hands tight as he kisses my head, not knowing what else he can do.

After a few moments of us sitting in a depressing silence, Kili suddenly stands. Looking up, I see him looking to Thorin, who is making his way towards us all, free of all of his armour, the luxurious fur coat and the crown. As I look into his eyes from where I am sitting, hope fills my being as I see his eyes being the same as the Thorin we all know and love. I pray to both Mahal and Yavannah our Thorin is back. Kili starts walking to Thorin, meeting him in the middle as he speaks.

"I will not hide behind a wall of stone, while others fight our battles for us! It is not in my blood, Thorin."

They stop in front of each other.

"No, it is not. We are sons of Durin. And Durin's folk do not flee from a fight."

Thorin lays his hand on Kili's shoulder, a proud smile on his face. This makes me smile as I now know that Thorin is back. I almost tear up as they touch foreheads. Thorin turns to the rest of us, closing the gap between us. Behind Thorin, I have to smile as I see Kili give a little fist pump before standing behind and to the right of Thorin, Dwalin on Thorin's other side.

"I have no right to ask this of any of you; but will you follow me one last time?"

The dwarves rise and raise their weapons, ready to follow their leader and friend again. I freeze slightly as Thorin turns to me. I see Kili begin to make his way over, a frown on his face, but I hold a hand out to stop him. If I am to get a punishment from Thorin for my words, then I must face him alone.

As Thorin looks me in the eyes, I am surprised to find his gaze full of sorrow and regret instead of fury like I expected. As he looks to the small tuft of hair that once proudly held the braid, his sorrow becomes deeper.

"Violet. . .words cannot express how deeply sorry I am for what I did to you, and for the words I said. Not once have I, or will I ever think you are unworthy of Kili's courtship. I have no excuses for my actions other than that blasted sickness. I do not ask for forgiveness as I know there is nothing I can say or do to earn that from you. But I pray that you will give me a chance to prove to you that you are worthy, not just for Kili, but for anyone of us. I hope you can find it in your heart to one day forgive me."

I keep eye contact with Thorin as he speaks and can see how sincere he is about everything. And since I know that it was definitely just the dragon sickness talking, how could I not forgive him? Yes what he said really hurt and I was heartbroken when he severed the braid, but I know that if he had his sanity, he would not have said or done what he did.

I smile as I stand and embrace him. "Of course I forgive you, Thorin."

He hesitates for a moment before breathing a sigh of relief and embraces me back. My smile widens as I hear the dwarves cheering and seeing Kili grinning at me over Thorin's shoulder. Pulling away, Thorin smiles as he takes Kili's hand and join our hands together, placing the bead in them.

"You both have my blessing and support. You may get a bit of grief because of you not being a dwarf, but know that you have my support, and that of the rest of the company."

The others call out their agreements as Kili hugs his uncle. I just smile as Fili walks over and joins in on the embrace. When they finish, Thorin comes up with the plan to string up the golden bell to use as a battering ram so we can get out. As the others get to work, Kili pulls me to one side and quickly braids up a section of my hair, being able to hide the tuft of hair.

"There." he says as he takes hold of it, stroking the bead with his thumb. "Back where it belongs."

I nod with a smile, glancing back at the dwarves. "Yes, just in time."

Hearing the shakiness in my voice, he pulls me to him and holds me close. "We will be alright, my love. We will make it out of this, I swear to you."

I nod as we pull away and I kiss him just before we join the others as the bell is set up and ready. Turning into my wolf form, I stand beside Kili as we line up by the entrance, Thorin in front. Once Bombur blows the horn, I feel Kili's hand on my head.

"Stay by me, Violet."

I give him a quick nuzzle to show I heard him as the bell falls, crashing through the blockade and creating a bridge with the rubble. Looking outside, all I see are thousands of orcs covering the plains, like a black canvas waiting for an artist. Right in front of us are Dain's dwarves, creating a shield between us and the enemy. With a cry, Thorin runs out, the rest of us following. The dwarves part to allow us through, creating even more space as they see a giant wolf running among them.

"TO THE KING! TO THE KING!" Dain yells to his soldiers.

" **Du Bekâr**!" Thorin shouts as he raises his sword.

The rest of the dwarves give out battle cries of their own, my howls mixing in with their calls as we all collide with the Orcs, the dwarves forming a wedge behind us.

As we are battling, I realise I am not able to do much damage to the orcs thanks to their thick and heavy armour, but at least I can pounce on them, dazing them so Kili can finish them off, or slamming my thick paws on their heads.

I keep my promise to Kili, staying close to him and Fili, while also keeping my own vow to protect the both of them.

During the fight, I notice Kili, Fili, Dwalin and Balin jumping onto one of Dain's goat pulling fighting chariots, which has a bolt crossbow built into it. After hearing Kili calling out to me, I run over, changing mid run and jump on just as Balin snaps the ropes to get the goats to move. The older dwarf moves us closer to Thorin and Dain, the former having just mounted a ram himself.

"Halt!" Balin calls, pulling back on the reins.

Thorin and Dain look around, the latter jumping out of the way before he gets trampled by goats. The chariot staggers to a halt, causing Dwalin to glare slightly at his brother, the princes looking slightly worried.

"It's been a while since I've done this." Balin says indignantly to his younger brother, to which I giggle at.

Thorin gives a shout as he rears up his goat, his sword out. "To Ravenhill!"

"Hold tight lads and lass!"

The goats charge on after Thorin. Dain jumps back from the spikes coming out of the wheels.

"You old mad bastards! I like it!" I hear Dain exclaim, his voice laced with amusement.

I stand in between Kili and Dwalin as the chariot gets closer to the Orcs. As we plough through, the rams use their horns to knock out the Orcs right in front. Fili and Kili who are by the wheels, use their swords as we go and Dwalin is using the crossbow, firing bolts at the Orcs ahead, the spikes slicing off Orc legs as we go and Balin is laughing away as he steers the goats, causing me to have a smile on my face. Even though I feel useless at the moment, I cannot wait for the moment I can change back and sink my teeth and claws into Orc flesh.

A horn sounds from where Azog is, looking up, I see six trolls running towards us.

"Watch out!" I yell.

The rams jump off a small hill, causing the chariot to rise up a little, the spike slicing off all six of the trolls head clean off. Dwalin, Fili, Kili and I all laugh and cheer as we see this.

"Eyes front!" Balin calls out.

Spinning around, we see a giant armoured troll with bladed forearms heading straight for us.

Balin pulls the rams sharply to the right, the troll's blades missing us by mere inches.

"Hold on!" Dwalin yells out.

The strong turn makes us all lurch to the side, heading for the frozen river. Kili uses his body to protect me as the chariot jolts a few times. The rams slip on the ice, but quickly regained their footing. The wheels of the chariot skid and we hit the side of the ravine, making our feet leave the chariot a little before Balin regains control.

"I'm out!" Dwalin exclaims.

Kili hands him a new set of bolts for the crossbow. Hearing a roar overhead, we look to see the troll jumping onto the ice behind us, causing it to go through the ice, and starts to smash the ice behind.

"Bring it down! Shoot it!" Dwalin exclaims as Kili and I notch our bows.

"Where?" Kili asks as he takes aim.

"Aim at his jambags!"

"It doesn't have any jambags!" Kili retorts.

"Kili!" I yell out as the trolls hand gets closer.

He turns back and he shoots it in its palm to slow it down. But it is quick to gain speed again.

"Hang on, lads! I'm coming!" Comes a cry, and I see the troll with chains pierced into its eyes and spike balls as arms and legs, which Bofur is controlling, comes charging and soon gets pulled onto the ice.

The spiked ball hits the other troll on the head, The armoured troll hits Bofur's troll in the neck, causing it to fall back. Bofur swings his troll's right arm and hits the armoured one in the head again. Dwalin, Kili and I are cheering as we watch.

"Bofur, you beauty!" Fili shouts just before Bofur falls onto the ice.

Looking back ahead, we see a troll holding up a bridge filled with Orcs. Dwalin begins shooting it with the bolts. It turns slowly towards us, allowing him to shoot it in the neck.

"Come on, you hairy hedgepig!" Dwalin growls as he keeps shooting, urging it to go down.

The troll finally falls back dead as a bolt sticks in it's throat, creating a bridge for us to cross the frozen water with. All of us laugh before I growl out a warning of Wargs ahead.

The two rams at the front are soon taken by the beasts as more come. The next two are then taken while the dwarves are fighting them off. The chariot slows down considerably since losing the rams.

"There's more coming!" Kili calls out as he looks behind us.

Dwalin turns to Balin. "We're pulling too much weight. We won't make it."

"Cut the tracers." I hear Balin say.

Dwalin looks up at his brother in shock, even I'm looking at him in shock. Balin stares straight ahead. "Ride them to Ravenhill."

Dwalin shook his head. "No, Balin."

Balin smiles and shakes his head. "My goat riding days are over."

Dwalin frowns before he grasps his brother's fore arm.

Balin nods with a smile. "Durin be with you, brother."

Dwalin nods, and, reluctantly, let his brother's arm go.

"But Balin, we only have two mounts, there's not enough for us." Fili points out.

While I watch the Wargs and Orcs get closer, an idea hits me.

"No. . .you have three mounts."

This causes the four dwarves to look to me.

"What do you mean, lass?" Balin asks me.

I just grin at them. "Well, if Orcs can ride on Wargs, then so can a dwarf."

With that, I leap off the chariot, changing mid leap and landing on all four paws, running beside the chariot. Looking to the dwarves, I see them looking to me in surprise before giving a little bark to Kili. Snapping out of his surprise, he grins before jumping off the chariot and landing on my back. I stagger slightly, not used to his weight, before charging on ahead and hearing the other three cheering before Fili and Dwalin ride beside us on the rams. Glancing back, I see the chariot has stopped, facing the way we came and Balin firing bolts at the oncoming Wargs.

Kili pats me as he hears my slight whimper as I worry for the old dwarf.

"He'll be fine, Vi, don't worry."

Looking ahead, I see Thorin riding across a bridge towards Ravenhill. He looks down and sees us, looking to Kili and I in surprise before grinning slightly.

"Onward!" he yells down to us.

"Lead on!" Dwalin yells back as we climb up the side of the hill to get to him.

The five of us fight a few Orcs that are left and ride up to Ravenhill, to face our final task. Defeating Azog once and for all!

* * *

After reaching Ravenhill, Thorin and Dwalin ride through the main entrance, while I take Kili and I down and around, coming up from the side, Kili giving me reassurances at each misstep. As I climb up and onto solid ground, I see Thorin and Dwalin already dismounted and fighting off the Orcs, Fili's ram leaping off a ledge from above, rolling off to get into the fray and Kili leaps off me to join in. I swing my paws at those coming for me.

Once we defeat the Orcs, we look out across the river at the ruins in which Azog was last seen; his wooden signaling machines are visible through the mist, but there is no sign of the Pale Orc, nor of any other Orc.

"Where is he?" Thorin asks.

"Looks empty. I think Azog has fled!" Kili exclaims.

"I don't think so. . .Fili, take your brother and Violet. Scout out the towers. Keep low and out of sight. If you see something; report back, do not engage - do you understand?!"

The three of us nod.

Dwalin rushes over. "We have company; Goblin mercenaries. No more than a hundred."

We look back the way we came to see goblins running over the ruins toward us.

"We'll take care of them. Go! Go!" Thorin pushes us on.

Fili, Kili and I jump onto the frozen river and run across it to the ruins.

* * *

Once we reach the ruins, Fili, Kili and I creep quietly through the ruins below Azog's signaling station. We hear a noise, to which Kili begins to run towards, Fili holds him back.

"Stay here. Search the lower levels. I've got this."

The brunette hesitates before he runs down a corridor, I glance at Fili before following Kili.

* * *

Having defeated the goblins, Thorin looks anxiously out over the frozen river.

"Where is that orc filth?" Dwalin asks.

Bilbo appears out of thin air behind him, panting.

"Thorin. . ."

Thorin spins around and smiles in relief at seeing him. "Bilbo!"

"You have to leave here! Now! Azog has another army attacking from the north. This watchtower will be completely surrounded. They'll be no way out."

"We are so close! That orc scum is in there. I say we push on."

Dwalin makes his way over before Thorin grabs him.

"No! That's what he wants. He wants to draw us in."

Suddenly, Thorin freezes, his eyes going wide, as he appears to have understood something alarming.

"This is a trap! Find Fili, Kili and Violet! Call them back!"

"Thorin, are you sure about this?"

"Do it. We live to fight another day."

As they turn to leave, they hear a drum sound from Ravenhill. Looking back at the tower, they see a light appear. Atop the tower, Azog appears, dragging a bloodied Fili behind him.

* * *

As Kili and I scout out the lower levels, I suddenly stop as I pick up a scent, the scent I could never forget for as long as I lived.

"Vi? What's wrong?" Kili asks as turning to me.

Hearing a noise coming from above, I go to the nearest window and look up, my blood freezing as I see Azog holding Fili over the edge. Growling, I turn and run through the tower, ignoring Kili's call. I follow the scent and Azog's voice.

"No! RUN!" I hear Fili's scream, which causes me to gain speed.

Finally reaching the top, I run through the Orcs that have already gathered before leaping up and landing on the Pale Orc's back, sinking my teeth into the shoulder of his arm blade, the same one that was poised and ready to kill my **nadad**.

Azog roars as he drops Fili, my heart sinking as I hear his cries. His hand now free, he reaches around, grabbing the scruff of my neck and wrenches me off, flinging me to one side. Jumping back to my feet, I face the Orcs, growling and snarling away before I feel something tackling me from the side. All I see is white fur before I push it away to see Azog's mount glaring at me through one eye. I notice Azog and his orcs have already fled as the White Warg and I face one another.

* * *

Tauriel and Legolas pause on the bridge on their way to Ravenhill as they see the Werebats massing.

"No. . ." Tauriel gasps.

The Werebats fly down to the main battlefields, swooping through ranks of soldiers and causing mayhem. Legolas leaps and grabs the leg of a passing Werebat, and it carries him away. Tauriel sees Kili fighting several orcs on the ruins.

"Kili. . ."

But where's Violet?

Tauriel continues to run on to look for her friends and soon comes to the tower. As she looks around for dwarf and Skin-Changer, she encounters and kill several Orcs which advance on her. In a moment of peace after dispatching the filth, she calls out.

"KILI! VIOLET!"

Kili hears her, but he's too busy fighting two orcs at once to respond.

"KILI! VIOLET!"

"TAURIEL!" she hears Kili's call.

"Kili. . ."

Suddenly, Bolg jumps out of a tunnel and kicks Tauriel in the back, sending her to hit the stairs hard.

Hearing Tauriel's cry of pain, Kili angrily defeats his opponents and begins making his way toward her. Tauriel manages to slip out from Bolg's grasp and begins attacking him with her knife; he manages to grab both her arms and twists them, causing her to shriek in pain; he then smashes his fist down on her head, felling her. Kili rushes desperately as he hears Tauriel's groans.

Bolg raises Tauriel up by the throat; she manages to kick him in the knee, causing him to fall. He grabs her and throws her bodily against a wall. As she lays stunned on the ground, he raises his mace for the kill; suddenly, Kili leaps from a parapet onto him. They fight, and Kili manages to slash him, but Bolg grabs Kili by the head and raises the pointed base of his mace to stab him through the chest. Tauriel shouts and jumps on Bolg from behind.

"No!"

Bolg manages to throw her down again, and she can do nothing as Bolg raises his mace, ready to impale the dwarf Prince. Kili closes his eyes, a stray tear falling as he thinks of his love, of the promise he is about to break.

"Violet. . .I'm sorry. . ."

* * *

 **I am so sorry for the cliff hanger! Or am I. . .*Hides behind Violet and Kili* Please don't kill me! Keep your lovely reviews coming! Xx**

 **Translations;**

 **Du Bekar!** \- To Arms!

 **Nadad** \- Brother


	29. Victory

**Hey all! I am so sorry for not replying in so long! I have no excuse apart from severe depression and lack of motivation to continue writing. Hopefully, I can continue to keep writing for you all!**

 **Review responses;**

 **Dinosaur Imperial Soldier** \- It's sad that any of them had to die, but obviously it's not going to happen here!

 **LarissaValentiMeedachi2613** – Yup! Violet vs White Warg! You will see the winner in this chapter!

 **mchurch1992** – Oh god yes!

 **Kaia (Guest) –** Thank god for that! I'm safe from being hit! Don't worry, good ending!

 **FizzWizz2011** – Here we go! Update for ya! Sorry it's late!

* * *

 **Victory**

Anger. Anger and frustration are the emotions running through me as I face the White Warg. Anger at everything this Warg and it's rider has done to me, my family and to Thorin. Frustration at the Warg for stopping me from getting revenge on my family. Well, I may not be able to get my revenge now, but I can start by taking out Azog's beloved pet.

'Don't think you can get away from this alive, wolf.' The White Warg says as she starts circling me. 'I will kill you here and now, and watch as my master tears apart those filthy dwarves you love so much.'

'You will not succeed.' I growl out as I keep a close watch on her. 'I will make sure you die today, along with your master.'

She lets out a low chuckle. 'Strong words for a pup. But I wonder, is it just all talk with you?'

'I may look as though my bark is worse than my bite, but you're about to find out just how strong my bite truly is!'

I pounce, ready to land a hit on her when she dodges out of the way before taking a swing, managing to knock me aside as she catches my head. Shaking of the slight daze, I quickly jump out of the way as she is about to pin me to the ground.

We face off against each other again, both of us growling and snarling away. We jump at each other at the same time, using out forepaws to claw away at each other. I manage to get a few scratches on her face and chest while she gets me just below my good eye.

While swinging my paw around, I swing hard enough to knock the Warg aside, making her hit her head on one of the stone pillars. I pounce on her and lean down to tear into her neck.

"KILI! VIOLET!"

I look up at Tauriel's scream. When did she get here?

The Warg takes advantage of my distraction as she swing her paw, her claws slicing into my left shoulder as she knocks me away from her before pouncing onto me. As I am struggling to get away, she growls into my ear as she leans down.

'You fought well, pup, I am almost hesitant to kill you. But kill you I must. I will not allow anything to get in the way of my master's victory.'

Just as I feel her teeth nicking my skin, I hear a sudden shout before the Warg's weight is lifted from me. Jumping up, I turn to her as I heal a howl of pain. She is laying motionless on her side, a blade sticking into her side and blood pouring from the wound. I smile as I see the dwarf holding the blade.

'Fili!'

I pounce onto him, nuzzling and licking his face, causing him to laugh as he ruffles my fur.

"Vi! I'm alright! I'm not hurt!" I move off him as he tries to sit up. He holds my face before pulling me into an embrace, one I return as I lay my head on his shoulder and wrap my left leg around him. "You saved my life, Violet, I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Pulling away, I look to the lifeless body of the White Warg.

'I think you just did.' I reply.

Even though he can't understand me, I think he gets the idea of what I said as he nods.

"We're even now."

I just smile as I lick his cheek.

We suddenly spin around as we hear a roar. Looking over the edge of the tower, we see Thorin alone on the ice, Orcs swarming towards him. I also see Legolas standing on another tower, firing arrows at the Orcs. I suddenly look back around as I hear Kili's yelling coming from further back.

"Violet, you go help Kili, I'll go help Thorin." Fili commands as he picks up his blades.

I nod as I run off, into the direction of the fight. Luckily the Orcs between me and them have been taking care off so I can get their quickly. Leaping off a ledge, I see Bolg holding Kili in one hand a mace in the other, the pointed end poised and ready to kill him. Growling loudly, Bolg whips around in time for me to land on his chest, forcing him to drop Kili and forcing him to the ground.

Jumping back as he swings for me, I stand protectively in front of Kili, the anger I felt before blazing stronger than ever. The Orcs may have taken my family from me, but there is no way they are taking Kili!

As Bolg stands, I charge forward and leap up digging my claws into his chest. Before I can sink my teeth into his neck, he grabs hold of me and throws me aside. I dodge away from his mace and leap at him again, scratching his face before landing on the ground. I leap back at him again just as he raises the point bit of the mace. I let out a loud yelp as I feel the weapon enter my stomach.

"VIOLET!" Kili screams as he see me impaled on the mace.

Bolg gives me a maniacal grin before flicking his mace away, causing me to yelp out again as I roll off and away.

* * *

Kili can do nothing but watch as his beloved faces off against Bolg, leaping and cutting into him with her claws. He then feels his heart drop into his stomach as he sees her leap at the same time Bolg raises his mace, ready to stab her. Before he can yell out a warning, Violet yelps out in pain and his eyes go wide as he sees her hanging in the air.

"VIOLET!" he screams in anguish.

Violet yelps again as she is flung from the mace and rolls a few times before stopping. He panics as he sees her not moving. Before he can get the chance to go to her, Bolg stalks towards him, ready to finish what he started.

Just as Kili stands with his sword in hand, Tauriel suddenly leaps onto his back, pulling him away from the dwarf, and Bolg trying to swing her over the edge. She manages to hold on to him and kick off a stone, launching them both over the edge.

"Tauriel!" Kili calls out as he rushes to the edge.

Looking down, he sees her laid out on a broken staircase and Bolg advancing on her, when a tower suddenly falls over and makes a bridge over the chasm, where he sees Legolas standing there with Orcrist. Knowing Bolg is going to be taken care off, Kili rushes back to Violet, seeing her laying on her side in her human form.

Collapsing to his knees beside her, sword clattering away as he drops it, he gently rolls her onto her back. He freezes for a moment as he sees the wound on her stomach before placing his hand onto it, to try to stem the bleeding. Hearing a hissing sound coming from her, he sees her eyes open and looking at him. A pained smile appears on her face.

"Kili. . .you're alive. . ."

Kili gently presses his free hand against her cheek. "Shh. Try not to speak, my love."

"Bolg. . ."

"It's alright. He's being taken care of."

She just nods. Moving to her wound, Kili slowly lifts his hand to look it over. Luckily it's not too deep, but deep enough to kill her if she doesn't get help soon. Ripping off some of his shirt, he uses it to press firmly onto the wound, causing her to hiss again.

"Sorry. That should be enough until we can get you some help."

"Kili! Violet!" Tauriel's voice calls out.

Looking up, the both of them see the she-elf climbing over the edge and runs over to them.

"You're alright!" Kili exclaims in relief at seeing her.

"I'm fine." Tauriel checks Violet over and looks grim. "We need to get her to a healer. She may look stable now, but she could take a turn for the worse."

Kili nods and just as he's about to lift Violet, he hears a roar of pain from his uncle and Fili screaming Thorin's name. He freezes not knowing what to do. Obviously he needs to be with Violet. . .but hearing that. . .he feels a cold hand take his own and looks down to Violet giving him a reassuring smile.

"Go to him. . .I'll be fine."

"I can't leave you, Vi. Not like this."

Tauriel places a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I have her, Kili. Go. She'll be safe with me, I promise you."

After a few moments thought, he nods and leans over to kill Violet. "Don't leave me, **amralime**."

She smiles as she places a hand on his cheek. "I won't. Now go."

Getting up and grabbing his sword, he rushes on, looking back once to see Tauriel taking Violet into her arms and rushing back towards Dale. Now that he knows his beloved is safe, he can focus on Thorin and Fili. Running through the ruins, he comes out onto the frozen lake to see Thorin and Fili fighting off against Azog, Thorin hopping on one foot.

Rushing into the fray, he manages to leap onto the Defiler's back, rage coursing through him at all of the pain and destruction this Orc has caused. The pain to his uncle and mother, his people and then to Beorn and Violet. . .taking out their entire family and friends, leaving them with nothing.

Azog soon grabs him by the throat, wrenching him off and holding him up so he's dangling in front of Thorin and Fili, both of them watching in horror, not daring to move in case he is killed. Azog grins evilly to the dwarves as he talks in the black speech.

" **Your wolf may have stopped me once before, Oakenshield, but she's not here to help this time."**

Just as Azog is about to raise his bladed arm, there's a sudden roar and Kili is flung to one side as something tackles Azog to the ground. Thorin and Fili rush over to him as he is gasping for breath.

"Kee! Are you alright!?" Fili asks worriedly as he helps his younger brother to sit up.

"Yes. . .I'm fine. . .what happened?"

Looking up, the three dwarves see Beorn's bear form pinning the Pale Orc to the ground as he tears the vile creature apart, Azog yelling in agony as he is being tortured before Beorn finally kills him, swiping his huge paw across the Orcs throat, making his blood spill out on the ice. As he looks to them, the dwarves can see the light leaving Azog's eyes. This time, Thorin definitely knows he is dead. He is disappointed he couldn't kill him himself, but knowing that Beorn also has a right to the Orcs life, he doesn't begrudge the Skin-Changer the right of killing the creature that has taken almost all of his family.

Turning into his human form – luckily still fully clothed – Beorn makes his way over to the dwarves.

"Is everyone alright?"

Thorin nods. "We are, thanks to you."

Beorn nods as the three of them stand, Thorin favouring his right foot.

"Thorin! Fili! Kili!"

Looking around, the quartet see Bilbo and Dwalin rushing towards them.

"Are you all alright?" Bilbo asks.

"We're fine, don't worry, Bilbo." Fili answers with a tired smile.

"Azog?" Dwalin asks.

Thorin just nods to the Defiler's body. After looking over, Dwalin's body seems to sag in relief. Beorn looks around at those gathered.

"Where is Violet?"

That's when the others look around, Fili turning to Kili, knowing he was the last to see her.

"She got injured while protecting me, she should be in Dale now with a healer." Kili replies nervously, remembering his promise to Beorn to always look out for his daughter.

Beorn looks to the young dwarf for a moment, wondering if he should be angry he didn't stop his girl from being hurt, but knowing how much she loves the dwarf, and that she would do anything to make sure he is protected, he just sighs.

"That sounds like something she'd do."

And just like that, he turns and leaves the five of them, making his way to Dale. Kili actually lets out a breath of relief.

"Thank Mahal, I thought he was going to skin me alive."

The others chuckle, knowing just how protective of his daughter Beorn is.

"I think he knows Vi would hurt him if he did." Fili says with a grin, his brother grinning back.

The five of them turn to follow the Skin-Changer, but Thorin stops the Hobbit. Bilbo and the other dwarves turn to the King nervously, all knowing what happened the last thing Thorin spoke to him.

"Bilbo, I owe you an apology."

"Apology?" Bilbo asks in confusion.

Thorin nods. "I take back my words and deeds at the gate. You did what only a true friend would do. Forgive me, I was too blind to see. I'm so sorry that I have led you into such peril."

Bilbo shakes his head. "No, no, I'm glad to have shared in all your perils, Thorin - each and every one of them. And it's far more than any Baggins deserve."

Thorin smiles and embraces him. Bilbo pauses for a moment before embracing him back. Fili, Kili and Dwalin are grinning as they watch. Once they pull away, the five of them go back to Dale, Kili hoping and praying that Violet is still going to be alive when he gets there.

* * *

 **And there we have it, Azog and Bolg are finally dead and so ends the Battle of the Five Armies! But I won't be stopping there, don't worry. I will be continuing to write, I don't know how far along though, so we'll have to wait and see on that. I hope you enjoyed this, and please stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **Translations'**

 **Amralime** – My love


	30. Author Note II

**Hey there guys!**

 **Not an update just yet, but just a quick note to say that I hope you've all had a good Christmas and New Year and that I hope your 2018 is going well so far.**

 **I just wanted to let you know that there's still going to be a bit more time until I'm going to get anything updated. At the moment I'm struggling with my sight and trouble getting to the opticians to sort out some new specs for myself so I can't write anything at the moment, so I'm sorry about that. I'm also going through some health issues, physically and emotionally so that's also setting me back.**

 **I want to say a big thank you to everyone for being so patient with me during this time and I truly appreciate all of your support, it means everything to me.**

 **I'm hoping to be up and writing again within a few weeks. . . hopefully.**

 **Thanks again and see you all soon xx**


	31. Update

**Hey guys!**

 **Just wanna apologise for the confusion of the last update chapter. I have no idea what happeneded with that, hopefully this will be better. Thank you to** **misslesmis13** **for pointing that out to me xx**

 **Just letting you all know that I finally had my eye test done yesterday and I'll be getting my new glasses within a couple of weeks! So between 2-4 weeks, I should be updating once again! Woohoo!**

 **I have been in the mood to write for weeks now, but I've not been able to since I can't see a thing without any glasses. I can't wait to get back into writing again, I've had so many ideas for each of the Hobbit and LOTR stories. I've also had ideas about three more Hobbit stories, which I will be typing up once I've got one or two of the others completed.**

 **I also want to thank each and every one of you for being so patient with me during this time. Not only have I not been able to see much, but I've also not been very well. Been suffering with bad depression again and on top of that, I've come down with the flu thanks to Snow Storm Emma which has been raging the UK. So, hopefully I'll be well enough when my glasses finally arrive, if not, I'll still try my best to get writing.**

 **Thank you all once again, I love you all so mcuh.**

 **Faron xx**


	32. Notes

**Hey guys!**

 **Sorry not a story update, just a little note to say that I will be stopping this story for now as I have a LOT of editing to do on the previous chapters and then I can get on with writting the rest of the chapters.**

 **Also, I have a question for you, would you like me to continue on with Violet's story after Erebor, writing in the sequel to it and going into her future with Kili? Please either review or PM me with your views.**

**I will be back soon with it, but I don't know how long it will be xx**


	33. Healing

**OMG! I am so so sorry with how long it has taken me to get this uploaded! I have not had the inspiration to keep going with this one for a long time! But now I've finally got it up! Yay! I just want to thank you all for your patience and understanding with me, I appreciate it very much.**

 **Review responses;**

 **MajesticLunicorn** **(for chapter 29)** – I'm glad I've blown your mind lol

 **MonkeyGirl13** – They all survive, don't worry about that. I'm glad you love it so much!

 **kaia** **(for chapter 29)** – I'm glad it was worth the wait, and I do apologise for how long it takes me to get the chapters up.

 **misslesmis13 (for chapter 1) –** It should be sorted now, thank you for bringing it to my attention

 **monkeybaby (for chapter 29)** – oh my god, thank you! I'm glad you think so!

 **XxxMadameMysteryxxx, SoraLover987142, Sky0828 and guest –** You have all gotten your wish, I will be continuing with this and going into the future of Kili and Violet! Might take me some time to get some ideas together for it all, but it will definitely be written up!

 **Child of Dreams** \- *Hides behind Kili* It's updated! Please don't hurt me!

* * *

 **Healing**

Once the dwarves and Bilbo reach Dale, one of the men lead them to where healing tents have been set up for the wounded. They are led to where the rest of the company and Dain are sitting beside a single tent. Once he sees them, Dain strides over to his cousin.

"Thorin! Thank Mahal you're safe!"

Both dwarrow embrace one another, gently butting head before pulling away.

"I take it you were successful in taking out that filth?"

Thorin nods. "Aye. With some help from a friend."

"The giant man?" Thorin nods again. "Balin told me he is a Skin-Changer. I thought he was pulling my leg at first, until Gandalf and the others confirmed it."

"Where is he?" Kili asks as he steps forward, knowing Beorn was on his way to find Violet.

Dain turns to the young prince, nodding to the tent they are standing beside. "He went in there after inquiring about his daughter."

Not giving anyone else the chance to say anything more, Kili rushes past and enters the tent. He sees Beorn kneeling on the ground next to his daughter, one of her small hands engulfed in one of his huge hands. Oin is standing nearby, washing his own hands.

"How is she?" Kili asks the healer.

Oin looks over to the young dwarf and sighs. "I'm not going to lie to you lad, It was looking grim for a moment. She had a seizure as Tauriel and Legolas arrived with her, causing her to bleed out more. Gandalf had to put her mind into a deep sleep so she could relax while I stop the bleeding and stitch her up. She should be fine now, we just need to keep an eye on her."

Kili nods and thanks him before he sits next to Violet, across from Beorn. He reaches out and takes her hand into his and watches her sleep. He thinks about what has just happened, being so close to death like he has been and then to see Violet diving onto Bolg to protect him. He should be the one to protect her, not the other way around.

"I'm so sorry Violet. . .I'm so sorry. I promised I would protect you, not let you get hurt like this."

"Do not blame yourself, young dwarf." Beorn says, causing Kili to look at him, a little nervously, but he wouldn't admit it to anyone. "That is just who Violet is. Always looking out for everyone but herself. She doesn't blame you, so don't blame yourself."

Kili says nothing more as he continues to watch Violet as she rests.

Kili and Beorn stay sitting by Violet's side for the next few hours, neither one moving for anything. The others come in to see how she is doing, Bombur bringing the pair some food so neither of them forget to eat. Oin also forces Kili to allow him to check him for any injuries, muttering away about youngsters and the need to not get medical help.

It wasn't until later that night when Violet would finally awaken. Kili is sitting on his own, Beorn having just stepped out for a moment and holding her hand tight in his. He looks up to her face and brushes some of her hair from her face, giving a small smile as he holds her courting braid.

"Violet, I know we talked about the risk this battle would be for us, but, don't go somewhere I can't follow. Come back to me."

He closes his eyes to hold back the tears as he kisses her hand, not noticing her eyes slowing opening, filling with love when they see him.

"I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Darkness. That is all I see. Nothing but black no matter which way I turned. There was no Kili, Papa or any of my family and friends. I was truly alone. That's when a light started shining from behind, pushing the darkness away to reveal a very familiar field.

"You will never be alone, my sweet."

I gasp as my heart aches. That voice, I haven't heard it in twenty four years. . .turning, I almost collapse as I see her. My mama, looking as she did before the attack on our lands. Her black hair reaching her waist, her brown eyes full of life, happiness and love and the usual smile she always wore.

"Mama. . ."

She smiles as she holds her arms out, I do not hesitate as I rush straight into them and hold her tight, sobbing into her chest.

"I've missed you so much."

"Shh, it's okay, my love. I'm here now."

"I'm dead. . .aren't I?"

"Not quite. You are in the pathway between life and death. You are not ready to join us yet. I just wanted to see you before your time comes."

She pulls back a little and holds my face into her hands, smiling as she runs her thumbs over my cheeks.

"Violet, I am so very proud of you. I have watched you grow from a child into a beautiful young woman. You have faced many perils and hardships, such things that I am sure many would have surely failed to prevail. I am proud that you joined Thorin and his kin to regain his homeland, you were so brave to do something many would not."

She then reaches forward pulls my courting braid over my shoulder, gently running her thumb across the bead holding it together. Her smile softens even more at it.

"I also approve of him. Kili is a brave, strong young dwarf and he will take good care of you. Your brothers on the other hand. . .they had a few choice words to say."

I giggle at this, knowing my brothers would have been over protective of me when I finally did find my love.

"How are they? And Peony?"

"They're great. They want you to know that they love you, they miss you and they are just as proud of you as I am. They also say, and so do I, you do not have to mourn for us any longer. Just know that we are all together and we are happy."

I just smile, too choked up to be able to speak. I had always known that they would all find each other once again, but there was always that bit of doubt that maybe they couldn't find one another, especially with Peony since she was so small.

Mama then places a lingering kiss on my forehead. "It is time for you to return. Just know, we are always there beside you, even if you can't see us. And tell your Papa. . .tell him we all miss and love him. But also, tell him I say it's alright for him to move on. He does not need to grieve for us any longer."

I smile and nod as we sit on the ground together, she lays me down and has me rest my head on her lap as she hums a lullaby I have not heard since I was a child. I soon fall asleep and fall back into the darkness once again.

* * *

After what feels like years, I feel a hand holding my own and someone brushing hair away from my face. I realise the hand holding mine is Kili's and can feel the relief flowing through my that he survived, he made it through the battle.

"Violet, I know we talked about the risk this battle would be for us, but, don't go somewhere I can't follow. Come back to me."

Hearing the heartbreak in his voice almost kills me and it gives me the motivation that I need to open my eyes, which I do. Looking to my right, I see him sitting in a chair beside me, his head bowed over my hand as he kisses it, his eyes shut tight.

"I'm not going anywhere." I say, hearing the words but not recognising the voice as it is so hoarse from not being used in a while.

Kili then sits bolt upright, his eyes wide as he looks to me. He let's out a laugh of relief and disbelief at the same time.

"Violet! You're awake!"

He leans over and hugs me, being careful of my wound. I wrap my own arms around him, holding him as close as I can without hurting myself, or him.

"Oh Violet. . .I thought I was going to lose you."

I just smile as he pulls away. "Never."

"Here." he pours my a mug of water, to which I drink. "I'm sorry Violet."

I look to him in confusion. "Whatever for?"

"I should have been protecting you, not allowing you to get yourself killed. Because of me, you could have died."

I instantly take his hand, feeling grieved that he has been blaming himself all this time for me getting hurt.

"Oh Kili, I don't blame you at all. You didn't ask me to jump in front of you, I chose to do that myself, and I would do it a hundred times more if it meant you were still alive."

He smiles. "As I would for you." he then leans forward and kisses me before pulling away. "I'll go let your father know you're awake."

I smile as I lay there waiting. I'm back, Kili is alive and Papa is here. The flap of the tent moves aside and I smile as I look up and see Papa walk in, having to bend down because of his height. He smiles in relief as he sees me and kneels beside me.

"Violet. Thank Yavannah you are awake." he leans forward and kisses my brow. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. But that's to be expecting I suppose. How long have I been asleep?"

"The whole day. It is night time now."

I nod as I struggle to sit up, Papa helping me by placing pillows behind my back so I can sit upright.

"What happened in the battle? Did everyone survive?"

He nods. "They did."

"Thorin and Fili?"

"Thorin has a wounded foot, Fili a few gashes, but other than that, they are alive and well."

I breath a huge sigh of relief, the last thing I remember is Kili having to leave me to help his brother and uncle after we heard them.

"What of Azog and Bolg?"

"Both dead."

I stop for a moment. Did I hear that right? Sensing my thoughts, he nods with a smile.

"You heard right, my little flower, they are both dead."

I sit back against the pillows, my hands covering my face, tears coming to my eyes as I hear thing. They're dead. . .we're finally free of them. Papa leans forward and gently gathers me in his arms and embraces me. I wrap my own around him, crying into his shoulders. After a while, I manage to gather myself together as I pull back, both of us smiling. Papa uses his thumbs to dry my tears.

"Violet, I am so proud of you. So very proud. Risking your life to safe Kili, stupid thing to do, but I'm still proud of you."

I have to giggle at the slight reprimand he gives me, but his mention of his pride reminds me of something else.

"Papa, when I was asleep, I saw Mama."

He just looks to me in surprise for a moment. "You saw your mother?"

I nod and I tell him everything that happened, everything she and my siblings told me. He just sits there listening, and even though I can see the tears in his eyes, he does not let them shed. Once I have finished, he embraces me again and I just lay my head on his shoulder as I hold him.

"Now that Azog is gone, we can do as your mother has said and move on with our lives."

I just smile as we continue to hold each other. That's when the flap of the tent moves.

"Can we come in?"

Looking up, I smile as I see the others in the gap and pull away from Papa.

"You can come in."

Kili takes his place beside me again and Fili comes over to pull me into a hug, one I am only too happy to give back, so relieved that he is alive and well.

"I'm so happy you're alright, **namad**. I was so worried when Kili told us what happened."

I smile. "I'm fine, **nadad**. I'm relieved you are alright," I then look to Thorin, who is standing at the bottom of the bed with a smile. "you too, Thorin. I was so worried when I heard you."

He limps closer and takes my hand as he swaps places with Fili. "I am fine, you don't have to worry. I thank you for saving the lives of my nephews, you are truly one of us, my niece."

He then places a kiss on my forehead. I just smile at this, him calling me his niece. I now definitely know that the Dragon Sickness is definitely gone for him to welcome me into his family like that. Beside him, I see Kili also smiling as he squeezes my free hand.

After that, the other dwarves, Bilbo, Gandalf and to my surprise, Radagast come in, all of them expressing the same relief as the others. We spend the next few hours talking with one another and my smile widens, if it's at all possible. This time twenty four years ago, there was just me and my father, and now I have many more people in my life. The two wizards who have been like uncles to me, Gilrean and little Estel, Bilbo and the dwarves and now I have the one thing I thought I would never find. Love. I have a future with Kili, and it is one I am looking forward to.

* * *

 **Well, there we have it! The Sons of Durin survived, Violet survived and it's a happy ending for everyone! Nah, it's not the end just yet. I have a few plans in mind for Violet and Kili, so this isn't over just yet. Please keep your wonderful reviews coming, I love to hear from all of you.**

 **Translations;**

 **Namad -** sister

 **Nadad -** brother


End file.
